


Loving the Hardest When Hope Is Gone

by Blue_Spruce_25



Category: Persuasion - Jane Austen, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Based loosely on Persuasion, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Happy Ending, Kara and James but only for a hot minute, Lena Luthor as Anne Elliot, Lena and Mercy but only the merest suggestion, Mutual Pining, PersuasionAU, Slow Burn, SuperCorp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:15:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 63,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29677560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Spruce_25/pseuds/Blue_Spruce_25
Summary: Imagine Lena Luthor as Anne Elliot and Kara Danvers as Captain Wentworth in a modern retelling of the Jane Austen classic Persuasion. Can they overcome the heartbreak of their youth? Will Lena's sacrifices be rewarded? Keep reading for a tale of love, relationships, and mutual pining (with a helping of superhearing and potstickers on the side).
Relationships: Imra Ardeen & Mon-El, Kara Danvers/James "Jimmy" Olsen, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor/Supergirl, Mercy Graves/Lena Luthor, Samantha "Sam" Arias/Alex Danvers, Winn Schott Jr./Siobhan Smythe
Comments: 32
Kudos: 27





	1. Hubris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief introduction to the Luthors.

Lex Luthor, CEO of LuthorCorp, in Metropolis, was a vain, but intelligent man. His intelligence led him to receive many accolades as the young leader of a Fortune 50 company, and his vanity enticed him to linger over them. It was somewhat of a coping mechanism for him on bad days, to read words of praise about his former successes. On this particular occasion, Lex was featured in Forbes for his work in innovative technology. He tried not to reflect too hard on the fact that the article had been originally published three years prior, when he had still been an up and coming star in the executive arena. “Lex Luthor, first-born son of Lionel Luthor and heir of the LuthorCorp dynasty has taken the company to new heights, growing their sales in the defense industry after securing several highly-coveted but top-secret contracts.” On the front cover of that issue, Lex stands with his arms crossed and his feet shoulder-width apart. His bald head gleaming and his dark beard contrasting attractively against his pale skin. He had small eyes and thin lips. He thought that his facial expression conveyed power and success, but others would probably just call it smug. He was neither attractive nor ugly. His posture and demeanor spoke of his authority and that carried with it a certain magnetism. Of course, the perfectly tailored italian suits didn’t hurt either. 

The article in question also mentions the recent hiring of CFO Mercy Graves, Lex cringes at the name. He skips over the mentions of him as an eligible bachelor after several public, failed relationships and bristles at the way the lazy reporter reduced his mother, Lillian Luthor to merely Lionel’s unmarried widow. Lillian is a tall, perfectly proportioned woman with sandy blonde hair only merely suggestive of graying. The way Lillian carries herself commands a room. Her ram-rod straight posture and seething glare put grown men to shame. She is beauty, she is grace, she will rip your heart out and eat it in front of you. To the CEO’s chagrin, the article also makes mention of his little sister, Lena. Lena is rather beautiful, with piercing green eyes and a sharp jaw that perfectly compliments her long, slender neck. She shares Lex’s pale skin and dark hair, but that is about all they share. Unlike Lex who stands at well over six-feet, Lena is just over 5’5”. Lillian has taught her to wear heels like armor to guard against those who would try to intimidate her. Also unlike Lex, who presents as somewhat shapeless despite the fine tailoring, Lena is all curves. Her clothes are tailored to accentuate every attractive quality while toeing the line of what is acceptable in a professional setting. Her fashion sense is immaculate and commandeering. 

Lena was of inferior birth having been adopted into the Luthor name. Though, just within the family, it was known that she was in fact Lionel’s love child born out of an affair with a woman he met traveling in Ireland. The truth came to light when Lena was contacted by her half-sister Siobhan alleging that they shared a mother. Unfortunately for the Luthors, a privately administered DNA test run through their company labs proved the claim to be true. The Luthors had acted quickly, entering Siobhan into a comprehensive NDA which happened to include clauses preventing Siobhan from garnering a single cent of the Luthor fortune through her relationship with Lena. It would not do for a clumsy Irish lass to undo the millions they had spent falsifying records to conceal Lena’s heritage in the first place. No, Siobhan was distanced from the family as much and as strategically as possible, without making Lena too suspicious of their motives. 

Lex hated that his little sister was worthy of mention at all in a feature piece on his success. Lionel had always doted on little Lena, from the time she came to live with them at age 4. It drove Lex mad, but when his father died he was still his mother’s favorite, and suddenly that worked quite well to his advantage. After Lionel’s death, any pretense of Lena being tolerated in the family was dropped. Lex still treated her with reserved kindness, colored around the edges with jealousy and annoyance. He hated that she was smarter, and more creative than him. He hated her too-good heart and that it made her weak, that she let it. One benefit of that weakness, was that it was something he could exploit to his own ends, something he did frequently. 

After the death of her husband, Lillian’s long time friend Rhea took Lena under her wing, providing the parental guidance that Lillian simply wasn’t suited for. It had been Rhea to whom Lena turned when she got her first period, and when she had her first crush. To Rhea, Lena was the daughter she never had. Her bumbling son Mon-El couldn’t hold a candle to her love for the smart and capable Lena Luthor. 

Lex had taken over the family business after Lionel’s death. What Forbes didn’t know when they wrote that article was that Lex had just made some bad investments. In a bid to shake up LuthorCorp’s investment portfolio, he had acquired a large number of shares in WeWork during their IPO, only for them to tank just days later. At the time the article was written, he had made a killing on the recent frenzy around Bitcoin, only for the Bitcoin crisis of 2018 to wipe out his earnings completely, putting him in the red. To make matters worse, banking on the Bitcoin earnings, he had invested huge amounts of capital in a new skyscraper in downtown National City, looking forward to expanding LuthorCorp to the West Coast. Now after everything, LuthorCorp was quietly on the ropes and Lex was taking desperate measures to save it. 

Mercy Graves, LuthorCorp CFO, had been on the opposing side during a particularly nasty merger several years ago. While the negotiations had been ruthless, Lex had found himself drawn to Mercy’s acumen and cut-throat mentality. He had brought her into LuthorCorp shortly thereafter, but was disappointed to find that she did not share his desire for a relationship outside of the boardroom. Since bringing her on, Lillian and Lex had been hearing rumblings about her collecting power amongst the board members and shareholders, ostensibly putting herself into position for a hostile take-over should she ever have the cause. With Lex’s mistakes in his investment portfolio, the threat was becoming all too real that she could amass the political will necessary to take over control of LuthorCorp. Since that time, the Luthors had all but publicly cut ties with the CFO, unable to remove her from LuthorCorp completely without causing the scandal of the decade. 

Looking back at the article now was a reminder of Lex’s former greatness, something he was doing more and more often as he became increasingly concerned about the future of his family’s company. "Ms. Tessmacher!!!!” Lex called. A small blonde appeared. “Get my mother, Morgan Edge and Rhea into conference room four in two hours. No excuses, it’s urgent.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters follow fairly closely with the slow start of the original novel, but the story picks up and takes off soon! This is my first fic, so please have mercy on me (pun intended). Sometimes when you want to read a fic, you have to write it yourself... Check out my burgeoning [ tumblr.](bluespruce25.tumblr.com)


	2. Making Money Moves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LuthorCorp is in dire straights, but a new plan is formed for how to fix it.

Morgan Edge was a shrewd man. He hadn’t worked his way up from nothing to the top developer in Metropolis through family connections; no he was a self-made man, and he could smell a trap a mile away. When asked for his suggestion to remedy the dire straits LuthorCorp found themselves in, he tactfully deferred to Rhea’s opinion as the most  _ experienced _ and  _ business-savvy _ mind among them. The smug grin on his face undermining any attempt at feigning sincerity.

This proved to be a wise course of action, as Rhea was forthcoming with her recommendations when it came to restoring the company she had watched Lionel and Lillian build over the course of their lifetimes, ruined so quickly by the hubris of a spoiled son. Obviously, she kept those  _ particular _ feelings under wraps as she deftly and tactfully laid out several key concessions that could keep them afloat. Rhea knew that she was fortunate to even be included in such a conversation, herself the CEO of a company with only 100 employees, nothing like the Fortune 50 status of LuthorCorp. She had, however, proven herself to be a trusted advisor over the course of their friendship. They had to cut overhead, there was just no way around it. They didn’t have any liquid capital and were not well suited to getting further lines of credits based on the liabilities already clogging their portfolio. 

Rhea carefully considered the public image that Lillian and Lex held so dear, making suggestions that could allow them to right the ship while still saving face in the public domain. She asked Lena, possessor of a truly brilliant mind for problem solving, who had somehow been overlooked in initial planning discussions. Lena’s plans involved a more aggressive retrenchment, getting them out of debt and back into the black faster, with less of a mind paid to their public perception beyond the necessary impact it might have on their market value. 

After spending hours in the boardroom crafting strategies, making calculations, and compiling advanced projections, Rhea turned to Lena. “If we can get your mother and brother to agree to these terms, we may turn this around yet. If they adopt these measures, they will be back in the black and debt-free within five years. I just hope that we can convince them that the Luthor name has enough credibility in of itself that it won’t be tarnished by these actions. In fact, it may help the Luthor image to be seen as so sensible and transparent. All companies have to grow and adapt to the changing market. Progress is the only way to survive the global economy. I really think we can convince them, after all these are debts in a publicly traded company, they have to be paid and the shareholders have to be kept apprised of the company’s well-being. There is a lot of deference given to the Luthor name, but even more, I think, given to an honest business.”

With that sentiment, Lena reviewed the plans again, noting places where they could become even more aggressive. For example, if LuthorCorp is closing their satellite offices in Hong Kong and Singapore, there can be no justifiable reason for them to keep their executive penthouses in those same cities. Her mother and brother won’t miss rarely used accommodations when they will no longer be visiting on business. The liquid capital from the sale of those properties, however, could result in a much needed buffer to get them through the next quarter of expenses.

In the end, these careful calculations meant nothing. Lex and Lillian balked at the suggested reductions. Lex went so far as to throw his carefully collated and bound report across the room yelling, “preposterous”. “What are we just supposed to reduce the global footprint of our company by half and retreat from lucrative emerging markets completely?”

“Mark my words, I would rather pack up every desk in this building and lease out Luthor Tower than I would close up every foreign office and new location.”

“Lease this building?” The hint was immediately taken up by Morgan Edge, whose millions happened to have been made in the real estate transactions just like the one being discussed. His role as exclusive broker for LuthorCorp gave this conversation the potential to be extremely lucrative for him. Lena was painfully aware of this fact as the conversation progressed, though no one else seemed to let that small consideration sway them.

“ _ Since you mention it _ , buildings like this are in high demand as groups in both the public and private sector are looking to consolidate their holdings in this area of the city. We’re seeing more and more technology and entertainment companies building headquarters here, _and_ it is still fairly rare to have 50 contiguous floors of office space in the same building. It would be perfect for the right tenant.  I think this might be your best bet, it could bring in millions every year in rental income, and you have enough local satellite spaces that you could simply redistribute most of your employees.  With the new building coming online in National City, we could relocate the headquarters there and move some employees with us. Any employees who don’t relocate or aren’t redistributed could be quietly let go with a generous severance package, allowing us to quietly downsize in our most expensive labor market at the same time. You could have complete control over who takes over the building and any modifications they wish to make.”

And so it was decided that LuthorCorp would be moving their headquarters to the west coast to take advantage of the emerging technology opportunities and talent in that part of the country. Lena would have preferred that they simply downsize in a more straightforward approach. She couldn’t hide her distaste for National City, not unrelated to having been sent there for boarding school immediately after Lionel’s death and the painful memories of the summer she lived there in college. The southern Californian sun did not agree with her pale complexion to the point that, while there, she had invested some of her personal funds in her favorite brand of sunscreen. 

Rhea loved the Californian sun and the ethos of Silicon valley. She thought it had the potential to breathe new life into LuthorCorp. As far as Lena’s dislike of National City summers goes, Rhea was happy to host her there in Metropolis during the summer months, and she could use that time to continue her work as LuthorCorp’s head of R&D on both coasts.

Both Rhea and Lena _were_ aligned however, on the benefits of removing Lex from the influences of Morgan Edge and his less than subtle self-insertion into the day-to-day running of LuthorCorp and the intimate family moments between the Luthors at home. He did little to hide his romantic pursuit of Lillian, though she seemed perfectly unaware, perhaps having spent too many years being hit on by semi-successful men far her inferior after Lionel’s death. Morgan might’ve been Lex’s friend, but Rhea and Lena both suspected his intentions towards Lillian. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know we're off to a slow start, but the whole thing is written and I plan to update this daily so keep an eye out for more! Sneak Peak: tomorrow we will introduce the Danvers sisters.


	3. Dr. Danvers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LuthorCorp may be in dire straights financially, but perhaps Dr. Alex Danvers is exactly the remedy they need.

“You know I have to say,” Morgan started, his eyes not leaving the newspaper he had held in front of him at the Luthor dining table, having come for brunch before his tee time with Lex, “this Alien Amnesty Act is bringing all kinds of government agencies into Metropolis. It could look very good for LuthorCorp to lease Luthor Tower to one of these new branches. Their maintenance budget and resources far outstrip that which is allocated in private companies and they are usually eager to get leases signed quickly, and are aware of the premium this often entails. It could be the perfect fit.”

“Whoever takes over Luthor Tower is going to be one lucky son of a gun, that’s for sure. There aren’t many buildings out there with this much history that have been so well maintained and modernized.” Morgan hmmmed his agreement, knowing it was required, if not exactly honest. He pressed on, “All I mean to say, is that the government is uniquely positioned to be motivated, captivated even, by the historic and regal nature of the building. They would be able to pay for what it’s worth, without the same concerns about revenue, return, and profitability that would plague most private buyers.  The truth is, with filing the necessary permits and paperwork to relocate the headquarters, it is entirely possible that some branches of the federal government may be in a position to hear about your intent to relocate, and as such, may be interested in presenting an offer.”

Morgan continued, “I am sure that a government tenant would be extremely competent caretakers of the building and grounds. They wouldn’t require many interior changes to the building either, since they will want to keep renovation costs down and will have a similar workforce population to what LuthorCorp currently has in this building.”

Lex scoffed, “I never said anything about interior changes, and I definitely have not agreed to modifications to the building’s grounds. This building still has my name on the side. It will still be known as  _ Luthor _ Tower, will it not? I still have some stake here in maintaining acceptable standards.”

Morgan was quick to respond, “Of course Lex, these things are all easily drawn up in a lease agreement. We can have the lawyers draw it up this week, just in preparation should someone express an interest. We can get all of your stipulations on paper then.”

Lex didn’t respond, but didn’t dissent either. After awhile he sighed, “I can appreciate all that the government does for us, even if they are allowing those  _ cockroaches _ to live among us as ‘equals’,” seeing Lex use air quotes while spitting anti-alien vitriol as the head of a prominent Fortune 50 company sent chills down Lena’s spine. She couldn’t help what spilled out next.

“The government has done so much to stabilize human-alien relations and reduce the violence in cities across the United States. We can hardly hold that against them in evaluating their suitability as tenants. Besides, it may be a completely unrelated branch of the government.”

At this Lex, just looked at his watch, no indication that he had even heard Lena speak. “Let’s go Morgan or we’ll miss our tee time and I don’t want to have to wait for Barack to play through in front of us again. God what a sap. Bombs a country with our drones one day and then invites their refugees to tear down American culture the next. It’s sickening.”

\---

Morgan Edge was not always the sharpest tool in the shed, but his hunch about the impacts of the Alien Amnesty Act and the government’s need to expand certain real estate holdings in Metropolis was spot on. The very first Lease proposal they received was from one Director Danvers from the Department of Defense. Curiously, Morgan noted, Director Danver’s email signature denoted her pronouns (she/hers), but not the agency to which she belonged. They met over lunch in the financial district and discussed potential terms in the vaguest sense. Director Danvers disclosed that she had toured many locations throughout the city, but that they either lacked the ideal location or couldn't accomodate the space they needed. It was by accident, then, that she had become aware of the impending lease of Luthor Tower and that he was the broker representing the Landlord in the lease of the property. Director Danvers seemed pretty confident in her interest in the building considering she had only ever seen it from the outside. They exchanged further contact information and scheduled a time to review the property and the proposed Lease agreement before going their separate ways. Morgan realized later that she still had not mentioned the name of the agency interested in the building. 

“And just who is this Director Danvers? What does the Department of Defense want with my building?” Lex asked immediately. Morgan described only her needs for the building, a desire for underground parking, the desire to keep the lab spaces as is, and to potentially add a balcony to the fourth floor atrium to enhance employee morale. The balcony and the addition of a medical unit were the only major changes to the building. There was, however, one floor where the Department of Defense would need to build out a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility or “SCIF” for short. This, Morgan assured Lex, is completely normal for a Department of Defense contract.

At this Lena chimed in, “Dr. Alex Danvers is the Director of a top-secret government organization housed in the Department of Defense. She has a background in the sciences, with an M.D. and PhD in bioengineering from National City University. She has been working with the Department of Defense since 2012.”

Lex and Morgan both turned to look at Lena, but before Morgan could ask how she knew such things, Lex stepped in, “I take it then, that she is an insufferable know it all with absolutely no social skills or backbone.”

Morgan hastened to assure him that Director Danvers was well put together and confident. She was also quite pleasing on the eye. Lena rolled her eyes at this, her face still hidden in the book she was reading. Morgan was effusive in his praise of Director Danvers, even though, Lena noted, he didn’t seem to know a single piece of information pertinent to the deal at hand. He simply pointed out that she had been well-informed and researched about the market in Metropolis, and expressed a genuine admiration for Luthor Tower. His further research, though limited, had shown that she was well connected among the political elite, having even mentioned several conversations with President Marsden and well respected Army General Sam Lane. "In fact, I believe Director Danvers has a sister who may have crossed your paths a few years back during her stay here in Metropolis. I can’t quite remember the name. Lillian do you remember?”

“Well, Morgan, that’s not much to go on. A woman, last name Danvers, who was living in Metropolis a few years ago. I’m sure there are only a thousand or so women fitting that description in this city.” Lillian snipped in reply.

Lena sighed, “I think you mean Kara Danvers. She is Clark Kent’s cousin. She came with him to interview Lex for that piece in the Daily Planet then stayed for dinner.”

Morgan’s face lit up, “Ah yes! Kara. That’s the one. I think she is a full fledged reporter at CatCo magazine in National City now. She may be a useful contact for you after the move. I’ve heard she’s done quite well under Cat Grant’s tutelage, may even be in line for a Pulitzer this year for her coverage of the Alien Amnesty Act.”

“Kara Danvers? I can’t say I remember her, but I certainly remember Clark Kent. I would hardly call one article written by a second-rate reporter “crossing paths”, let alone the timid little girl clinging to his coat-tails. You misled me, I thought you meant someone worthy of my attention.” Lex said with derision. 

Morgan could tell that things were getting off track so he changed tactics, reverting back to the discussion of the Department of Defense and remarking on all of the work the DOD had done with LuthorCorp over the years, what with LuthorCorp being the preeminent arms and technology manufacturer in the United States. 

His persuasion appeared to be effective. Lex still hated the idea of letting go of the downtown Metropolis stronghold, but he was starting to reevaluate the potential partnership opportunities a deal like this could foster in the future. By the time Morgan left that evening, Lex was instructing him to send everything over to the attorneys for review and to schedule a tour with Director Danvers for the next available opportunity. 

It’s true that Lex was incredibly full of himself, but he was smart enough to see an opportunity when it stared him dead in the eyes. The Department of Defense was prestigious enough of a tenant, without the bad taste of letting a competitor take over the space, and it had the added benefit of strengthening one of their most important client relationships. They will take over the building, change little, and be wanting discretion for their own reasons. Lillian wouldn’t offer an opinion one way or another to the group, but nearing retirement age, with Lex poised to turn the company around, she would not begrudge a move to a warmer climate with a better understanding of leisure. 

It was settled, Morgan was to arrange the deal with Director Danvers and no sooner had the matter been settled, then Lena snuck out of the room, taking advantage of her relative invisibility amongst the family. She stepped out into the garden of Luthor Manor walking amongst the manicured lawns and landscaped floral displays, the cool night air calming her flushed cheeks. She walked her favorite path, through the labyrinth, imagining herself running into Kara in National City and Alex Danvers running the DEO in Luthor Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am happy to report that this is the last boring chapter. Tomorrow we go back in time to watch as Lena meets a charismatic blonde. Will they fall in love? Tune in tomorrow to find out. In the meantime, check out my [ Tumblr ](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bluespruce25) for more Supercorp content.


	4. Under No Circumstances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet-cute followed by heartbreak.

Kara was not just the mild-mannered cousin of Clark Kent. By all estimates, she was a soon to be Pulitzer-prize winning investigative journalist with CatCo magazine, and just happened to moonlight as Supergirl in her spare time. No, there was much more to Kara Danvers than appeared to the untrained eye. 

Lena met Kara five years ago during an internship at a tech start-up in National City. Kara worked in the same building and they found themselves eating lunch in the same area of the park at the same time most days. Lena didn’t know her name for a long time, instead referring to her as The Park Blonde. 

Lena was a budding scientist, so naturally when faced with something interesting, she observed carefully and noted her observations. For example, she noticed that The Park Blonde rotated through the food trucks each day, but would always stop for ice cream at the same cart by the north entrance. Lena noticed that she gravitated towards the greasiest of foods and had a rather eager way of eating them. Lena laughed one day as she watched The Park Blonde try to eat an entire burrito in one bite, only for the bottom to fall out and litter her lap with a mess of sour cream covered mystery meat. Her laugh was cut short by a pair of startling blue eyes looking up at her as frozen hands paused mid wipe of her napkin. The Park Blonde just shrugged and pushed up her glasses before continuing to wipe off her chinos. Lena packed up and left shortly thereafter. After that day, Lena felt that perhaps she wasn’t the only one making careful observations across the park. 

Her favorite thing about The Park Blonde was the way she lingered at the food truck after getting her lunch. It didn’t matter which truck it was, she always stayed to chat and seemed to be well received everywhere she went. She was clearly charismatic and charming. Lena blushed and chided herself for her own cowardice. She knew she would never speak to The Park Blonde, but she couldn’t deny the small joy of seeing her throughout the week. 

Eventually, there came a day when every bench was taken. Luckily, Lena had gotten there early and secured her usual place. She was a little sad to see that The Park Blonde wasn’t making eyes at her across the pond like usual, her regular bench instead occupied by two young parents and their screaming, very sticky looking children. Lena looked down to where her fork was picking aimlessly through her take-out container, no longer enjoying the salad she had walked four blocks out of her way to obtain. She didn’t actually like the greasy offerings on display at the food carts, but she did like the way she would catch those blue eyes looking at her sheepishly across the way, and that kept her coming back. 

She was startled from her reverie when someone cleared their throat just above her. She looked up to find those sparkling eyes looking down at her. They were even more beautiful up close, with varied shades of blue and flecks of white and gold throughout the irises. It reminded her of a glacial lake she had hiked to in Greenland once. The blonde cleared her throat again, “Sorry to bother you, but all the benches were taken. May I?” she said, gesturing to the empty space next to Lena on the bench. Lena shook herself out of her daze enough to respond, “Of course.” They ate in silence for a few minutes before Lena closed her container and got up to leave. She was willing to admit to herself that she had somewhat hoped that them eating lunch together would mean something. She was startled out of her disappointment when The Park Blonde started flailing at her. Her very full cheeks going red, The Park Blonde waved her hands frantically to stop the brunette. Her cheeks were bulging with food that she was clearly trying to quickly chew and swallow before saying what she wanted to get out. Finally taking a big gulp, the blonde stood up awkwardly. “MynameisKaraDanvers.” She said quickly, without pause. Lena smiled, it was kind of cute actually, seeing the blonde so flustered. She brushed the wrinkles out of her pristine pencil skirt before extending a hand, “Lena. Pleased to meet you.” Kara took her hand and shook it firmly, but carefully, as if she were concentrating very hard on the task. Without letting go of Lena’s hand, Kara suddenly said, “I’ve noticed that we often eat at the same time throughout the week. I was wondering if, maybe, you’d like to eat at the same time again in the future. Intentionally. As in together, maybe?”

Lena chuckled and squeezed Kara’s hand before withdrawing her own. “It would be my pleasure. How does noon tomorrow sound? Same place?” The blonde’s face lit up with a smile that could power a thousand stars. Lena suddenly wondered what else she could say to make  ~~ The Park Blonde ~~ Kara smile like that again. “I look forward to it.”

They met everyday for lunch. Eventually, Kara invited Lena to try a new vegan restaurant and then they started going to dinner sometimes. Other times they would walk through the park, or along the beach together. Her time with Kara had quickly become the best part of Lena’s days. When they couldn’t make time to see each other, they would text throughout the day, sending each other funny pictures or, in Kara’s case, sending videos and commentary of every dog she passed on her walks through the city. Lena discovered that Kara was kind, and smart, and witty, but also clumsy and prone to accidents. Kara loved to eat and all things food. She was studying journalism at National City University and was interning at CatCo for the summer. 

Half the attraction on either side would’ve been enough, because Kara had no one to spend her lunches with and Lena had no one to love, but the way they fit together so seamlessly, the way they fell so easily into each other’s orbits could not fail. They gradually got to know one another, and once they did, fell rapidly and deeply in love. It would be hard to say who was more infatuated with the other, or who was happiest having discovered the kindred spirits between them. 

They made plans to stay together during their last year of school. They talked about their dreams. Kara wanted to be a reporter, like her cousin Clark, and Lena wanted to cure cancer. She had a viable theory for how it could be done and just needed the resources and team to do it. Together they felt safe. One day, Kara drove Lena to an outcropping in an out of the way area outside of town. There Kara revealed her powers to Lena; explained that she was kryptonian and that being a reporter wasn’t the only family business that she hoped to join when she was older. Lena realized two things when Kara trusted her with this secret: 1. Lena was irretrievably in love with her, and Kara must love her in return because that is the only way she would’ve shared this secret. 2. They could, _under no circumstances_ , be together. That night, Lena only shared the first realization, trying to use what little time they had left together that summer to find a way around the second. 

They were blissfully happy with one another and spent every minute they could in each other’s company. Lena had allowed herself to be lulled into a false sense of security, she thought that maybe she could find a way to protect Kara from her family, from her brother. But, she had never known happiness as a Luthor, and she should have figured out by now that it couldn’t last. It seemed that Lena Luthor was allergic to happiness. 

Lex came to visit and Lena was thrilled. She loved her big brother, he was a strategic genius and the only member of the family that was ever kind to her or praised her for her accomplishments. He was the only person who bothered to get to know her at all. So when Lena told Lex about her plans to stay in National City and work with rising star Jack Spheer to cure cancer using nanotechnology, she was expecting him to support her, to congratulate her for finding a passion and pursuing it. She was not expecting him to clear the table of its dishes with one sweep of his arm. She wasn’t expecting him to get to his feet to give his vitriol more leverage as his face went purple from the exertion of screaming at her about _loyalty_ and her _duty_ to the Luthor family and to the family business. Eventually spent, he sat back down. He wiped a hand across his face and smoothed out the front of his suit, meeting her eyes calmly as if nothing had happened, and said, “After graduation, you will be taking your place as the head of Research and Development at LuthorCorp while you obtain your MBA. As a matter of fact, I expect you back in Metropolis on Monday. You will finish your degree at MIT remotely.”

Then he just got up, without ceremony, and walked away. She hadn’t even told him about Kara, who was waiting for Lena’s text so that she could “run into” Lena and Lex after dinner. Lena was grateful for small mercies. 

Lena couldn’t face Kara like this so she sent her home via text, complaining of a migraine and rebuffing her offers for soup and good company. Lena turned to the only person she felt she could trust for sympathy. She dialed Rhea on her walk home and explained everything, including her love for Kara, leaving out only that she was an alien and Superman’s cousin. If anything, speaking to Rhea made things worse. Rhea sided with Lex, with the family, and told Lena, in no uncertain terms, that her talents had been developed and nurtured in order for her to step into a senior role at LuthorCorp. They were not a gift given without the expectation of gratitude. Every opportunity she had ever had as a result of being a Luthor was an investment in the future of the business. Rhea told her that she was too bright and too capable to be anywhere else. And as for Kara, Rhea immediately looked down on the nobody. She didn’t hesitate to mention what she thought of the degree in journalism or the lack of pedigree. "Kara," she said, “would be a pariah in the kinds of society you will be expected to keep, my dear.” Rhea added that, after everything Lena told her about Kara, “She sounds like a snake, just trying to get close enough to you to get a good scoop. I’m sure she’s pinching herself that she’s lucky enough to have spent any time at all in the presence of a Luthor, let alone getting the scoop on your proclivity for the fairer sex.” Lena bit back a sob at this, she knew that Rhea was pragmatic and that she valued loyalty, but she never imagined that she could be so cruel. For the second time that night, Lena was glad to have kept some secrets to herself. What Rhea said next, though, left Lena reeling. “Lena, you will love working for LuthorCorp. I heard from Lillian that Lex just secured the single biggest defense contract of the year. He is going to be making cutting edge anti-alien technology and is on the verge of creating robotic suits that will enable humans to fight with the same capabilities as Superman. This is big Lena, and he’s going to need you to make it happen. We can finally defeat the caped miscreant once and for all.” Lena’s mouth dropped and she bit down hard on her knuckles so that Rhea couldn’t hear her reaction over the line. She should’ve known that Lex was going after Superman. He had spent over half of dinner complaining about the kryptonian’s unfair advantages and the moral decay of letting a vigilante run amok in their city. Lena thought he was just up on his soapbox, but now she got it. He was targeting Superman and the government was helping him do it. And if he was making weapons that could kill Superman... _Kara_. Lena hung up with Rhea feigning acquiescence and thanking her for her wisdom, all the while plotting ways to take down Lex from the inside. 

The next day Lena called Kara and asked her to meet for dinner in the park. Lena chose a public place so that she could get up and leave at any time, and to minimize the scene that Kara might otherwise make. It was just safer to do it in public. In breaking things off with Kara, Lena was careful to stay within the shadows of the truth. “Kara, I have enjoyed our time together this summer, but unfortunately that is all we can ever be; a summer fling.” Kara’s mouth dropped, her eyes immediately glistening with unshed tears, she shook her head, but Lena soldiered on, unrelenting, “On Monday I am reporting back to Metropolis to take up a position within the Research and Development division at LuthorCorp. I will finish my degree remotely before I take over as the director of the department in the summer. After that, I will obtain my MBA remotely while I continue to work at LuthorCorp. I will have no time for myself, let alone time for a relationship. Even if I weren’t going to be on the other side of the country, continuing to see each other would be impossible. I’m sorry.” Kara opened her mouth to fight back, to fight for Lena. 

Lena expected this and sighed. She had hoped that she wouldn’t have to say these words, to hurt the woman she loved, but she couldn’t risk Kara coming after her and Lex learning her secret, so she sat up straight, looked Kara in the eyes and said, “Kara, I am the heiress of intergenerational wealth going back two centuries. I am poised to become the youngest CIO of a Fortune 50 company in history. I golf with Michelle Obama and swap cookie recipes with Hillary Clinton and Ina Garten. I am sorry, but there is no place for a _reporter_ in that world. There never will be. Rhea helped me realize I could never trust someone whose entire job it is to sniff out gossip and share it with the world. As a matter of fact, you will receive a comprehensive NDA via courrier tomorrow to ensure that our  _ friendship _ this summer doesn’t become public knowledge. If anything were to get out between then and now, you can trust that there would be a lengthy and expensive defamation suit with your name on it.” 

With that, Lena stood up to leave, but Kara caught her wrist in a vice grip, not enough to hurt Lena, but firm enough that Lena wasn’t strong enough to break it. Lena turned back, one eyebrow raised and Kara dropped her hand immediately. Kara took a step back and put her hands up to show that she meant Lena no harm. Lena knew that Kara would never hurt her. Kara took a deep breath and a small step toward Lena. “Lena, you can’t work at LuthorCorp right now, it’s not safe.” “And just what is that supposed to mean exactly?” Lena demanded in a harsh, whispered tone. “Lex isn’t just building weapons for the military. It’s not guns and tanks, Lena. It’s bad. Really bad. He’s experimenting with kryptonite and building flying mecha-suits to take down Superman. He’s obsessed and I don't want you to get caught up in it. Please, Lena, you can’t. You can’t be a part of that.” Lena pulled herself up to her full height and leveled her most blood curdling glare at Kara’s pleading face. “I’m not sure I’ve ever had someone prove my point for me in so little time. I’m not going to bother asking how you know that, but I assure you, I know all about the kryptonite and the Lexosuits. I am a Luthor after all. It’s the family business. You of all people should know that. Luthors and Supers; mortal enemies until the bitter end.” 

“Lena, stop. I know this isn’t you. You're too kind and too good. You would never hurt me like that. I love you.” Kara had started crying in full, eyes still pleading with Lena; her lips quivered, pressed against themselves to seal in the pain. Lena’s ruthless Luthor mask was on full display as she shrugged her shoulders. “It’s about trust, Kara. The bottom line is, I can’t trust you, not when you could sell me out to the highest bidding tabloid at any time. Rhea’s right, I’ve obviously already let you get too close.” With that Lena left their bench for the last time, taking advantage of Kara’s stunned silence to make her get-away. 

Lena kept it together bravely until the moment she entered her apartment. She sat down with a glass of bourbon she was barely old enough to drink and typed out a message to Rhea. “Thanks for the advice. You were right, as always. I’ll see you soon!” and then one to Lex, “I’ve considered your offer. I'll see you Monday.” As moved her finger to the sleep button on her phone, she got a text from Kara; just two short sentences, “I love you, and I know exactly who you are. I just hope you remember before it’s too late.” Barely holding it together, Lena blocked Kara’s number on all platforms and deleted her contact information. She had, effectively, severed all ties between them completely. Lena was nothing if not thorough. 

\---

A few months had seen the beginning and the end of their relationship; but it took much longer for Lena to recover from it. Her memories of Kara pervaded her enjoyment of every milestone, every success. Each new notch in her belt, she wished only to be sharing it with The Park Blonde, to see the pride reflected in those blue eyes. While memories of Kara pervaded her enjoyment of her accomplishments, the thought of her drove every minute of Lena’s time at LuthorCorp. She had spent five years carefully subverting her brother’s darkest inclinations while maintaining her plausible deniability. “I’m sorry, Lex. I can’t explain why the mecha-suit can’t take flight. All the calibrations and algorithms check out. It doesn’t make any sense from a mathematical perspective. It must be something else.” Lena knew full well that connecting the grounding wire to the positive charge of the battery could cause the mecha-suit to fail out, but so far with each failure, Lex had put her in charge of finding the problem, making it painfully easy to cover her own subterfuge. 

Still, despite thoughts of Kara infiltrating her daily routine, five years was enough time for the pain to soften somewhat. She had, however, been too dependent on time and change of location; she had not done any work to process her grief for the loss of someone so dear to her. No one her mother and brother tried to set her up with could hold a candle to Kara. There was no one with the wit or charm it would take to supplant her memory of the blonde kryptonian. She was too picky, too reserved. Lena was hardly known for her warmth and sociability. She had received plenty of attention, from men like Morgan Edge and Maxwell Lord, but they were crass in comparison to the brightness of Kara’s smile. By that point, there was nothing that Lex, or even Rhea could say to convince her otherwise. They had each been given the opportunity to give their advice, but Lena still felt the grief of her loss every day. Rhea was beginning to lose faith in Lena’s prospects for happiness, resigning herself to Lena’s indifference towards anyone with intelligence, charm, or pedigree. Eventually, they all accepted that Lena would not settle down until she was ready. Only Rhea knew of Kara, of Lena’s attraction to both genders, but still the mother-like figure pushed only Metropolis’s most eligible bachelors on the young researcher, a statement in of itself. 

By age 26, no one spoke any longer of Lena’s love life or marriage prospects. Lena couldn’t help but reflect on her time with Kara and what she could have done differently instead of ending things so abruptly. She didn’t blame Rhea for her harsh words, nor did she blame herself for listening to them and for putting Kara’s safety first; but she did feel that, if anyone came to her asking the same questions, her advice would be quite different on the matter. Lena knew that, despite everything stacked against them, being with Kara would have made her happier than life without Kara had done. She felt that if their case had been weighed and judged fairly, given a real chance, they could’ve been happy. Happy, but never safe.

Kara Danvers was about to win a Pulitzer, Lena reflected. Everything Kara had ever hoped for or dreamed of had come to pass. She was a prominent, respected journalist. She was accomplished in her field and every night when she got home, she put on her cape and flew out to protect National City as Supergirl. Supergirl, whose popularity ratings had surpassed even Superman’s. Kara had, by all definitions, distinguished herself in every way possible. With the advent of Twitter, Lena was sure that they could’ve become the ultimate power couple. She had kept up with Kara’s reporting and her exploits as Supergirl from afar, relying on articles and television broadcasts to keep her in the loop. One thing gave Lena hope, however. In everything she had read and seen on social media, there had never been any indication that Kara was in a serious relationship with anyone. 

With all of these thoughts flooding her mind, Lena could not hear that Alex Danvers, Director of the Top Secret Department of Extranormal Operations would be taking up residence in her family’s building, without feeling the familiar pangs of grief rattle around her chest. She took many walks in the garden, complete with many wistful sighs, to shoo the idea of what could have been out of her overactive imagination. She reminded herself that she was being a fool, as she steeled herself against the inevitable conversations about Alex Danvers yet to come. This was aided by the apparent oblivion of the only person who knew her secret. Either Rhea’s memory was simply failing her, or she was adamant to deny any connection intentionally. Either way, Lena felt she could relax a little bit knowing that there was no lingering speculation about her former relationship with Kara. She could not know for sure if the topic had ever been raised between Kara and her sister, Alex, but Lena could infer from Alex’s lengthy absence during their time together as a first year resident in medical school, that it was unlikely to have come up or been a topic of much consideration. 

Therefore, Lena, concluded, there was no need for her past relationship with Kara to in any way mar the upcoming business alliance with Alex. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The meet cute in this chapter was loosely inspired by [ You're Going to Find Yourself Somewhere, Somehow ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26607172) by [ Robie ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/robie/pseuds/robie).


	5. Hoboken House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we meet the cast of caricatures that will help drive the story. If you are familiar with Persuasion, welcome to Uppercross, may I introduce you to the Musgroves?

On the morning that Director Danvers was to visit Luthor Tower, Lena made a point to hide out in her labs in the sublevels. It was easiest to keep out of the way until all the terms had been settled. She was pleased to learn afterward that she had missed them altogether during their tour. 

The tour went well though and, both parties satisfied, they signed the agreement almost immediately. Alex had turned on the charm during her visit, leaning heavily into the vanity of the Luthor matriarch and CEO, who were both swayed further by Morgan’s assurances that Director Danvers embodied the very best traits of federal agents: loyalty, duty, and discipline. 

All in all, everything was approved by the end of the week. The building and grounds were approved, the renovations requested by the DOD were approved, and all terms, timing, and payment were approved. Everyone was, to Lena’s mild surprise, pleased with the proceedings and with the speed at which it was coming together. It took another week for Morgan to finalize the agreement and another two for Alex to get the appropriate signatures.

Lex declared Alex to be the most competent federal worker he had ever met, and went so far as to say that, were Alex to continue climbing the ranks, he could see a future where LuthorCorp took a more active role in her career growth.

The DOD was slated to take over the building at the start of July, after the July 4th holiday, and LuthorCorp was to be vacated the month before. Rhea convinced Lex and Lillian that, since the new building was already completed and only required final inspections and last minute changes, Lena could be of no use to them there. It would be much better for Lena to stay in National City to ease the transition of the R&D department, half to National City and half to satellite locations within Metropolis, with minimal down-time. That way, Lena could stay with Rhea until things had settled there in Metropolis. Rhea and Lena would then travel to National City together in the fall to get acquainted with the new headquarters and operations. Unfortunately, they realized that Rhea was tied up with conference season for most of August, and Lena dreaded spending the hottest month of the year in that overgrown desert by the ocean. Based on this snag, Lena adjusted her plans and made preparations to travel directly to National City with the rest of her family. Thankfully, fortune intervened. 

Lena’s half-sister Siobhan, from her birth-mother’s side, was living in New Jersey, in a house with her boyfriend and a group of her friends. Siobhan had a flare for the dramatic, and was more than a little self-absorbed. She was always into the latest pyramid scheme and most recent fad diet. Lena had tried to explain to her more than once about pseudoscience and how to discern quality research from publicity stunts, but eventually gave Siobhan up as a lost cause. Siobhan had recently been diagnosed with a kidney stone and, imagining a long recovery ahead of her, begged Lena to take some time off to come stay with her. She “needed family around during this difficult recovery.” Lena was skeptical, but even the thought of listening to Siobhan try to explain basic concepts of physics was preferable to the thought of having to spend time one on one with Alex Danvers. Lillian and Lex were more than happy for Lena to make her excuses and leave the two of them to handle the relocation. To be needed, though without real cause, is still better than being rejected as unnecessary entirely. Lena was happy, actually, to spend some time among real, down to earth people. This new plan satisfied everyone’s needs, and was soon put into action. Lena would spend the first part of the holiday with Rhea in Metropolis, before going out to New Jersey to watch over Siobhan for awhile. 

Rhea was positively thrilled with the plan, that is until she discovered that Lex and Lillian filled Lena’s usual seat on the company jet with none other than Morgan Edge. His going was described as, “absolutely essential and necessary, as a valuable advisor to Lex and companion to Lillian.” Rhea was visibly outraged by the clear affront to Lena and more than a little suspicious of Morgan’s motives in leaving his company to vacation on the opposite coast for such an extended period of time. She sensed that something greater was at play than she could see from the surface. 

Lena was by no means an idiot. She no longer felt the sting of such situations, or at least she pretended not to, but she did see quite clearly the overtures Morgan was making to ingratiate himself with her family. She just couldn’t be quite sure what he saw as his angle. Either way, she had a feeling she wouldn’t be the only one keeping an eye on him with the way Rhea’s eyes narrowed as the family bid goodbye at the private hangar just outside the city. She was sure that Morgan posed no immediate danger to her family, her mother was too wary of men trying to win her as some sort of trophy, and Lex only made friends that he could use to his advantage, but still, Lena found something unsettling about the turn of events. She had shared her reservations with Lex once his intention to include Morgan on the trip to National City became clear. Not only did he dismiss her fears, but even worse Lex took offense and blew up at her again, something that had been happening with increasing regularity since his mistakes had come to light. “Morgan has been an ally and a friend throughout this process. He has proven his loyalty to me time and time again. You think I don’t see what he hopes to get out of this? I’m not blind, Lena. I know what kind of opportunities our friendship brings for a man like Morgan. I’m just not stupid enough to alienate him for it. If anything, I plan to use it to my advantage.” She left it at that and exited Lex’s office with a slam. He can pick his own battles and die on his own hills, she decided. 

Standing on the tarmac, part of her wished that she could change her mind, just to provide some kind of buffer or supervision, but by the time she finished her thought, the plane was in the air and she was being ushered into Rhea’s waiting towncar. While Lena was somewhat sullen over the whole thing, Rhea was near tears. Rhea knew that this move was the best course of action to correct the mistakes that had plagued them after Lionel’s passing, but they had become like family to her over the years. Lillian was her best friend and she would miss having them in her life. Lena realized, sitting in the back of that town car looking at her god-mother, that apart from the Luthor’s, Rhea only had her son Mon-El who was, ironically enough, living with Siobhan out in New Jersey and commuting into the city everyday for his dead-end job as a bartender at a total hipster dive bar in Williamsburg. Things were, well, nonexistent between them, having had a falling out shortly after Rhea’s husband, Lar Gand, died unexpectedly. 

They spent the following two weeks in comfortable companionship. Lena made a point to spend her time at the satellite locations scattered throughout the city and avoided Luthor Plaza at all cost. It was too hard to watch the building sit empty, no one but construction crews going in and out of the once bustling entrances. Nevertheless, the two weeks did go by and Rhea and Lena left on the same day to their respective locations, Rhea to a summit at a luxurious hotel nestled in a tiny village called Caux in the heart of the Swiss Alps, and Lena to the exotic paradise of Hoboken, New Jersey. 

Siobhan’s house in Hoboken was actually pretty nice, but the nice factor was somewhat diminished by the fact that she shared it with four other young professionals, all of whom commuted into the city for work. The town was cute, kind of quaint, compared to the hustle and bustle of 6th avenue. Lena vaguely remembered there being a famous bakery somewhere in the town. She was no stranger at Siobhan’s house, having stayed there many times. They had a finished basement with a full bathroom that they left open for guests to use rather than getting a fifth roommate, a surprisingly decadent decision, Lena thought, based on what she knew of their respective careers and interests. The house was always somewhat hectic. Siobhan lived with her mild-mannered, long-term boyfriend Winn Schott, who Lena really quite liked in his own right. Also in the house were Mon-El, Rhea’s son, and his on again off again girlfriend Imra who was, at the moment, in Georgia - the country not the state - on assignment from the UN, where she worked as a political affairs analyst specializing in former Soviet states. It was no secret to those who know her that Imra’s status as a minor royal in the British royal family, about 49th in the line of succession, and former career as a model are useful assets on some of the more sensitive UN missions. To round out the bunch, there was James Olsen, a photographer at the Daily Planet; famed for his suspiciously well timed portraits of Superman. Lena is sure that James could afford a nicer place after his Pulitzer win, but it seemed like he just liked it there. 

While Siobhan had perhaps inherited more of their mother’s good looks, she had nothing of Lena’s sharp mind and altruistic spirit. Siobhan could be a lot of fun to have around, in her better moments, but any slight inconvenience risked setting her off on a downward spiral. She was completely unequipped to being by herself and thought an awful lot of herself too. The convergence of these traits left her often feeling neglected and ill-used. Lena walked in through the unlocked front door to find her half-sister lying down on the lumpy sofa of the sunlit living room filled with mismatched, second-hand furniture, and was greeted with, “Finally! Where have you been? Ugh my head hurts so badly I can barely stand it and there’s no one around to help.” Lena took advantage of her sister’s angle to roll her eyes for the first, but certainly not the last, time that trip. “I’m sorry your head hurts. You seemed fine when you texted me this morning. Can I get you some ibuprofen?”

“Well I was obviously just trying to be nice and not worry you, but I woke up with just a raging migraine. I think this is the worst headache I’ve ever had. I can’t believe I’ve been all alone today, what if I had fallen or had a seizure or something? No one would’ve known for hours! And what, Rhea is too good to come in and say hello to your  _ non-Luthor _ siblings? Too afraid to acknowledge my existence is she?”

Lena stifled a laugh at the pure indignation rolling comically off Siobhan's tongue in the Irish lilt that Lena would never have again, having had it forcibly removed through years of speech therapy and diction coaches. The last piece of her former,  _ non-Luthor _ as Siobhan put it, identity ripped away from her at four years old. 

Shaking her head, Lena made the proper excuses while she got Siobhan some water and over the counter pain reliever. She asked after Winn only to be met with, “Oh! Winn is at work today. I haven’t seen him since he left on the morning train. I can’t believe he went in today knowing how sick I felt. He said he would check in on his lunch break, but I haven’t heard anything from him since. I’ve been on my own all morning.”

“Well, you should feel better soon with the ibuprofen in your system.” Lena says gently. “You know I always make you feel better when I come. How are the roomies?”

“I wouldn’t know. Like I said, I haven’t seen any of them today. They are all at work except Mon-El who is asleep somewhere upstairs after a late shift last night. He woke the whole house up stumbling back in at all hours. And Imra is god knows where on assignment so she’s been gone for weeks, though we expect her back sometime soon. Not a single one of them has so much as texted to check on me today if you can believe it.”

“Well the day just started, i’m sure we’ll see them when they get back from work tonight.”

“Ugh, I could do without them, honestly. Do you have any idea how loud four roommates can be? No, of course not, you’ve never had a roommate in your life, miss _I’ll inherit billions_.”

“You forget I went to boarding school. Trust me, four grown, adult roommates have nothing on six teenage girls all going through puberty, and all with the means to raise hell and get away with it too.”

“Still, I can’t believe it took you so long to come after my diagnosis. I’ve been in so much pain the last few weeks.”

“I’m sorry, Siobhan, I had a whole department to turn over and move halfway across the world.”

“Oh please, like you actually do anything but sit high on your laurels at that place.”

Lena pinched her nose, barely containing her frustration at the insinuation and starting to regret having come after only being there for a scant ten minutes.

“I actually do quite a bit. I’ve been reviewing and allocating funding between the several new locations, organizing and coordinating the removal of sensitive lab equipment to its new homes, and firing any employees that were found to be unnecessary as we have shifted things around. It has been a busy two weeks, I assure you. Maybe sometime you can visit and I’ll show you around the different locations in the city.”

“Mhm, and I suppose you are going to ask how my audition went _eventually_ , right?”

“Oh? Did you go yesterday? I just assumed since you have been feeling so unwell that you wouldn't have been up to it.”

“No, of course I went; don’t be silly. I felt perfectly fine yesterday. I didn’t feel the migraine coming on until this morning. I couldn’t afford to pass up an opportunity like that.”

“Well in that case, I’m glad you were able to go. I hope it went well.”

“Oh god, no. It was _awful_. Dreadful, seriously. I had to take the crowded morning train all the way into the city. By the time I got to the audition my clothes were a mess and my hair was all over the place. The AC on the train was down so my make up started running. Then I got there and there were 30 other women there, all taller and thinner than me, who were auditioning for the same part. My agent made it sound like it was going to be a smaller group thing, but it was just an open casting call. I’m pretty sure my migraine today is from all of the cheap perfume I inhaled sitting in that hallway waiting to get called into the studio.”

This was enough to get Siobhan talking and, with a few further prompts from Lena, she had totally forgotten her headache by the time lunch rolled around. They had some sandwiches from the cold cuts in Siobhan’s fridge, the quality of which, of course, Siobhan found lacking, despite the fact that she herself had been the one to purchase them. This led to a twenty minute rant about how she "is the only one in the house left with all the shopping and cleaning, just because she doesn’t have a steady job like the rest of them". By the time the afternoon rolled around, Siobhan was much improved and went so far as to suggest a walk. 

“Sure. You know the area better than I do. Where should we go?” Lena asked. “I don’t suppose you want to explore some of the shops?” Siobhan was quick to take her up on her offer and lead her through all of the quaint boutiques Hoboken had to offer. They had fun, and Lena was picking up the tab, which they both knew. It was Lena’s way of apologizing for the twist of fate that had mapped out such different lives for them to lead. They had the same mother, but just about everything else about them, about their lives and their temperaments, were different. Still, a stranger could recognize them as sisters, with their pale skin and prominent cheekbones. Their eyes were the same shape, but different colors. Lena’s were somewhere between green and blue, depending on the lighting; sometimes each eye would seem to pick a different color for the day. Siobhan’s were a warm amber brown. Lena’s lips and eyebrows were fuller, but Siobhan’s features were overall softer. Lena was all lines and angles, sharp and commanding. Siobhan’s face was all curves and warmth, inviting to the viewer. 

They headed back to the house around the time that the others would be back from work. They spent a few hours that night with James and Mon-El. They weren’t quite what pop-culture would refer to as “ _him-bos_ ”, okay maybe Mon-El was, but in any case, she would not trade her intelligence for their dashing good looks, even if it did give them an edge with the ladies. James seemed like a pretty good guy. He knew how to have fun, but in Lena’s opinion, he took himself just a bit too seriously as a photojournalist. After all, Lena knew that most of his success came from capturing “candid” shots of his best friend in action. Not very many people on this earth knew that James’ Pulitzer prize winning photo had been staged, but Lena did. Of course, James didn’t know that Lena knew his little secret, or the secret identity of his best friend, but that almost made his self-important attitude worse. All in all though, Lena thought James was a stand up guy. He might be a little arrogant, but she could be guilty of that as well, being a MENSA certified genius and all. And, while a lot of his success came from his work with Superman, James was also committed to telling the stories that most people in America weren’t ready to hear. Lena admired his work on racism and classism in the US. He had recently done an excellent piece highlighting aliens in their everyday lives as part of the Daily Planet’s coverage of the Alien Amnesty Act. Like him or not, Lena could appreciate what he was trying to do for the world. 

Mon-El on the other hand, was a completely different story. Mon-El only lived with Siobhan because he had come to Lena looking for help after his father died. He had appealed to her loss of her own father and begged her to help without telling Rhea. Against her better judgement, Lena did just that. She talked to Siobhan, who just so happened to have a terrible roommate named Leslie about to leave the house. A week later, Mon-El was living with Siobhan and Lena was living with a secret that she had to keep from the only parent figure in her life who gave a damn about her. Mon-El and Siobhan were selfish in the same ways. They expected maximum return for minimal effort. Mon-El was positioned to take over Rhea’s company and lead them into the next decade, but instead he decided to throw it all away to bartend. Lena wasn’t usually one to judge, but he could be _such_ a brat sometimes. She had known his glaring sense of entitlement since he was a child, but adulthood and all the responsibilities that entailed just brought out the worst in him. " _Still,_ " she thought to herself, " _he does_ try _to be a decent guy and_ has _been working really hard to unlearn his privileged lifestyle from too many years in boarding schools and frats."_ He had even started reading Maya Angelou to better understand the world around him. She had to admit that it was unexpected, and she was maybe even a little proud of the progress he was making. In her personal opinion, his relationship with Imra was a big part of that progress, making him a better person, more considerate and thoughtful, maybe even empathetic.

The group talked through dinner until Mon-El left for his night shift at the bar and James retired to go to sleep. Siobhan told her that he is an early riser, getting in a full exercise regimen each morning. Lena can’t think of anything worse than waking up at the ass-crack of dawn to sweat uncomfortably for the sake of keeping up some kind of idealized physique. _No thank you, hard pass._ Eventually, Siobhan led Lena to her room downstairs and Lena was able to take a deep breath for the first time all day. She loved Siobhan, but sometimes she could be down-right exhausting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for tomorrow's update where we see Lena adjust to regular life and suffer through meeting Alex for the first time. Check out my [ Tumblr ](https://bluespruce25.tumblr.com/) for more SuperCorp content.


	6. Humility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena finds her footing in Hoboken and finally meets the infamous Director Danvers.

Sometimes Lena was shocked by seeing “how the other half lived” so to speak. The conversations were completely different around the dinner table. Actually, there was a total lack of a dinner table to begin with. Siobhan’s friends ate pizza off paper plates sprawled across the couch and floor, discussing their careers and obnoxious coworkers. The biggest scandal they were privy to involved laxative-laced food being smuggled into the communal fridge at work to punish the lunch thief. The worst stress they encountered in their jobs were rude bosses and unreasonable deadlines. After the first few days, Lena realized that no one had said the word “Luthor” around her the entire time she was there. The self-absorption of her family was on full display for Lena in the contrast between the topics of conversation at her home, and those in Siobhan’s chaotic house. It was a lesson in hubris and humility for the young heiress. It wasn’t until James mentioned shooting some B-roll footage at Luthor Plaza that the topic of LuthorCorp’s move even came up. It was followed only by exclamations from Siobhan that she be allowed to visit when Lena was settled, after all National City is  _ The _ place to be for aspiring actors. Once Winn brought up comic conventions in National City and Mon-El chimed in with the best bars in the West Coast city, the conversation moved on into other topics of the day, namely Winn’s frustration with being treated like an idiot every time he showed up as the IT guy to help recover some schmuck’s password. Lena made a mental note to ask about the salaries of LuthorCorp’s IT department when she got back to work. 

At the end of the day, everyone in the house had their own bustling lives going on, jobs to go to and friends to see. Lena just hoped that she could find a way to fit in with the exceptionally average company she was keeping, amazed at their kindness and generosity. One morning, she watched as Winn stopped on the corner to give a panhandler his breakfast, even knowing, as she did, that his food was carefully rationed to last on his modest salary. Living with Siobhan was quickly showing Lena just how out of touch she could be as a result of her life of extreme privilege. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to quite dread the two months she was scheduled to spend with her overbearing sister. She was too focused on getting to know her housemates and acclimating herself to regular society. She and Winn bonded quickly over their mutual love of technology and advanced gadgetry. She was shocked the night he drunkenly admitted to being a huge fan of hers, having become aware of her work shortly after leaving college and following her short career ever since. Winn and Siobhan were sometimes at odds over trivial things, mostly because Winn seemed to care very deeply for his fellow man whereas Siobhan’s priorities started and ended with herself. Lena had come to genuinely like Winn and the calming effect he brought to Siobhan’s chaos. 

The only downside to her staying with her sister, was the frequency with which she was prevailed upon to play referee amongst the housemates. The rag-tag group quickly learned that she was not only capable of being impartial when it came to her sister’s transgressions, but she was perhaps the only person capable of actually remedying them. This extended even to Winn. The small, nerdy man would beseech her to, “get Siobhan to think of others every once in a while. She always thinks everyone is out to get her.” Then, not an hour later, Siobhan would text Lena to see if she could, “drop some hints for Winn to do something romantic. He is never thinking of me or doing anything romantic for us. He doesn’t put any effort into our relationship. It’s like he doesn’t even care about me.” Lena decided it would not be productive to remind Siobhan that Winn had brought her flowers on his way home from work just the day before and had already asked her to dinner at a rather expensive restaurant that weekend. 

The main discord around the house derived from the much-feared, seldom-respected chore chart. As the resident, non-resident of the house, the housemates often prevailed upon Lena to settle disputes. Siobhan would start in with, “Why is this kitchen always filthy? Does no one ever do the dishes? What is the point of a chore chart if no one is going to follow it?” Lena would just silently take care of the dishes after Siobhan left the room, not mentioning that the chore chart clearly states that everyone is responsible for their own dishes, or that her sister was, in fact, the one slated to clean the kitchen that week. Then, once Lena had cleaned and disinfected the whole kitchen, set up some indoor herb pots, and made dinner, James would appear and ask, “Do you think you could teach your sister a thing or two about how to clean the kitchen like you did today? I’m not complaining, but you did a fantastic job and I’m not sure she actually knows where the broom is.” Lena found the passive aggressiveness of the situation grating, but being more accustomed to running a department than living with roommates, she deftly navigated the conflict without any hurt feelings.

Despite her unexpected duties as mediator, Lena found that the visit was off to a good start and that she was actually looking forward to the remainder of her time in Hoboken. Her break from the long hours in the lab and the excitement of meeting new friends did wonders for her. Siobhan was coming around after some time in Lena’s company. Moreover, Lena was really starting to get along with the rest of the housemates, often spending meals with one or more of them depending on the time of day and their schedules. Being a naturally early-riser, she would often make a simple breakfast for the group before they set off on their commutes into the city and then would spend the rest of the day on her tablet working remotely from the house. Since Mon-El and Siobhan kept odd hours with their unpredictable careers, Lena often spent time with each of them throughout the day. She came to appreciate that Rhea’s son was kind at his core, but that kindness was sometimes hard to find under the arrogant charm that boarding school and frat life had instilled in him over the years. The house spent their weekends meandering around Hoboken and Lena took turns tagging along with them to the shops or picking up groceries for the Sunday afternoon cook-outs. 

One rainy Sunday, they brought the cook-out inside, but when the power went out, they had no music or entertainment. They were all shocked to learn that, not only was Lena a piano prodigy, but the upright piano they used as a repository for loose mail and car keys in the living room, was actually playable. After this discovery, more often than not, the housemates still turned towards their bluetooth speakers and Spotify playlists for entertainment, but they would occasionally call on Lena when the mood struck. Lena wasn't offended by this. She hadn’t played much since her father died while she was still in high school and she had never really loved playing in front of anyone else anyway. He had been the only member of the family interested in and supportive of her musical talents. For the rest of the Luthor family, it was just another box to check in the list of appropriate activities to master in the pursuit of world domination - also known as thriving in high society. She couldn’t be offended that the others wanted to exert their individual influence over the informal gatherings by bringing out music that fit each of their various tastes and personalities. James was a big fan of old jazz, especially Miles Davis. Mon-El was into electronica and EDM which, if Lena were being honest, was utterly atrocious. Siobhan opted for the Top 40 pop mix of the day and Winn was more laid back with the hipster stylings of Mumford and Sons, the Lumineers, and the Civil Wars. Lena knew that Winn also had a secret collection of 2000s metal like Korn and Metallica, but she let him keep his secrets to himself in front of the group. 

The house was occasionally set upon by outsiders for the Sunday cookouts and the occasional house party. Lena had gone to many uptight galas and company holiday parties in her time, sporting her best formal wear at the occasional charity event, but Luthor Manor was not exactly known for its fun-loving house parties. She noted that the housemates and the house itself were quite popular with other young professionals in the area who worked in the city but lived in Hoboken. The housemates seemed to love dancing and relished any opportunity to let Mon-El turn up his EDM and get out on the make-shift dance floor in the now furnitureless living room. Since Mon-El usually found himself draped over a beautiful blonde, or two, Lena often found herself manning the DJ position. She had researched a bit about what makes a good DJ and had even shipped some high-quality equipment to the house. If she was going to learn a new skill, she intended to do it well. This garnered more favor for her among the housemates than anything else could have, apparently. “Way to go, Lena!” James yelled after a particularly suspenseful beat drop. “Where on earth did you learn to mix like this? You’re awesome!” Winn joined in. 

___

Before she knew it, three weeks had passed. The Fourth of July had come and gone and the turn over date of Luthor Tower loomed in the back of Lena’s mind. She had grown up in the office building, one of the first additions to what would become the globally identifiable Metropolis skyline. The height had long been surpassed and the building shadowed behind 100 plus story buildings, now ranking just fifth for highest building in the city. Still, LuthorCorp paid millions each year to ensure that the most-seen shots of the skyline would include Luthor Tower, thus ensuring that all merchandise and graphics would also include the now-historic building. She had a hard time picturing the carpeted conference rooms and marble lobby awash with federal agents, with no Luthor in sight to reign over the once auspicious dominion. Lena could focus on little else July 5th as she attempted to note down the appropriate revisions to the flight stabilization algorithm for the self-driving drone program. Even Siobhan commented on it over dinner, “Isn’t today the day the feds take over Luthor Tower? That’s so weird to think about. Not that I’ve been much myself, obviously, but it’s like, historic, ya know? Hurts just to think out the end of an era.”

Regardless of Siobhan’s laments, the Department of Extranormal Operations, posing as a generic Department of Defense branch took over the premises with military precision. The mild news coverage of the event was enough to convince Siobhan that she had gotten the short end of the stick by not having spent more time in the building when Lena worked there. Normally, this would have gotten under Lena’s skin, what with her history of friends being bought off by her family, more interested in the money and possibility of fame than in her as a person, but coming from Siobhan it was easy to relate. Not only had the two girls been raised completely differently, but Siobhan’s hadn’t been an easy life. Lena also reflected on the fact that there was some truth to Siobhan’s words. While LuthorCorp owned and occupied the building, Siobhan was intentionally kept away so as to encourage distance between herself and Lena. Imagine if the paparazzi caught a picture of the two of them and figured out their connection. No, it had been a practical decision to keep Siobhan away from the building, but Lena couldn’t begrudge her sister's curiosity in how the other half lived. Wasn't that half of the reason Lena found hersef in Hoboken at this very moment? So, when James offered to let Siobhan tag along to the public press conference being held in the lobby of the building, Lena didn’t object. She could have found her way over there herself, but preferred not to with the media implications her attendance would create. Instead she settled for James' and Siobhan’s reports when they got back. 

Lena was somewhat disappointed never to have had the opportunity to meet Director Danvers in person and was, therefore, startled to learn that James and Siobhan had met Alex and invited her to the next Sunday cookout. It turns out that James actually knew Alex through a mutual connection at the Daily Planet and hadn’t realized that  _ the  _ Director Danvers was his old acquaintance Alex Danvers from the other side of the country. What are the odds right? In any case, the Director kept her word and arrived promptly at 6:30 pm Sunday evening for the weekly cookout. At this point, Lena’s curiosity had gotten the better of her and so she was pleased to find herself engaged in polite conversation with Director Danvers, “I’m off duty, it’s Alex. Please.” Alex was not what she expected from the agent, neither from the descriptions of her family and friends, nor from what she remembered Kara telling her all those years ago. Alex was short in stature and slight in figure, but looked like she packed a hell of a punch. Off duty, she was wearing plain black jeans and a plain, flowy white t-shirt. She topped it all off with some tidy biker boots and a light tan leather jacket. Lena was intrigued by her hair style, her short red hair falling to the side with a sharp undercut giving it shape and definition. Overall, the look screamed lesbian and Lena was pleased to finally be around another queer woman, not that she was out publicly at this point. A few years after Kara, she had come out to her family, much to their dismay and at their request, had kept her inclinations to herself. This was just one of many reasons that she had not yet been picked up in any public dating scandals, she simply didn’t date. 

Despite being adopted sisters, rather than sisters by blood, Lena could see the resemblance in the way Alex tilted her head and the 1000 watt smile that slipped out when Winn had stepped his entire leg, up to the knee, in the ice cold water of the drinks trough trying to catch a football in one hand without upsetting the White Claw in his other. Lena was confident that he wouldn’t have been able to catch the ball in a barren field with both hands empty. He wasn’t exactly coordinated. 

Alex’s smile, like her sister’s, was bright and full of teeth. It was gentle and radiant. Lena wondered how the Danvers sisters learned to smile like that. She was sure that her mouth had never come anywhere close to making itself into something so beautiful. The smile made Alex seem younger, closer to what Lena knew her age to be. The weight of having Kara as a sister and running a top secret government organization had clearly taken their toll on Alex, outlining her stresses on the canvas of her forehead. All the same, Alex was serious, but kind; mild mannered and neither soft-spoken nor boisterous. When she spoke, she did so with steadfast confidence, like someone with no insecurities, no doubt of what to do. She did it without being arrogant or lacking in a sense of humor. Lena was pleased to receive the agent’s compliments on her family’s building and legacy. More importantly, after their first few minutes of polite conversation, Lena was positive that Alex had no idea about her summer romance with Kara and therefore, couldn’t dislike her for it right out of the gate. That’s why she almost spat out her rather full mouth of wine when Alex said, “I’ve heard that you are also a  _ super _ friend, if I’m not mistaken.” Lena was taken aback, not expecting _any_ mention of Kara, let alone such a nonchalant reference to her secret identity. “You’ve heard the cape is married now? Found another journalist to settle down with. Can’t say I envy the bride though.” Lena swallowed down the lump in her throat and put on her best business mask. 

Hearing that Kara was married allowed her to put to bed years of longing in one long breath. She couldn’t have told you what she said in response, other than that it was vague and polite. That is, until Alex continued to explain that James had mentioned that Lena and Clark Kent went way back to their summers in Smallville and that Clark and Lex were long time friends. James also mentioned that Lena and Lex both knew Clark’s secret, having spent so much time with him back in the day. She went on to discuss Lois’s work and to ask if Lena knew her as well. Lena felt her cheeks flush again, realizing that there were, in fact, two supers and that, while Clark Kent had never shared his identity with her, Kara had and must have informed the other super of her having shared their super secret. Lena wondered why Kara would’ve told Clark and not Alex when the kryptonian’s relationship with her cousin was more fraught than pleasant and she used to tell Alex literally everything. Lena added this question to her mental list of curiosities about the blonde superhero who had lived a whole life and created a whole new identity since their time together. 

Alex finished her beer and was saying her goodbyes when she turned to James and said, “Give my best to the Man of Steel. Once Kara gets here this week, we should all get dinner. It’s been too long since we’ve had everyone together.” Lena buried her nose in her wine glass and made herself as small as possible so as to avoid suspicion as she listened intently to this new revelation. Without missing a beat, Alex and James shared one last hug and went their separate ways, Alex back through the house, out the front door and James back to the brats on the grill. Lena was left in her corner to collect herself and pull her thoughts together against the possibility that Kara might be there in Metropolis any day. 

Lena was looking forward to the deep conversations the housemates would usually have on their own around the bonfire after everyone else had left for the evening, like they did every Sunday evening. Imagine her surprise when everyone headed inside early. Winn pulled her aside to explain that Siobhan was in a bad mood and had already complained to the lot of them after having heard Agent Danvers bring up her sister Kara who is, “coincidentally, a reporter at CatCo magazine and former assistant to Cat Grant herself. She is the one who beat out Siobhan for the assistant job just after college and made it so Siobhan had to move here to Hoboken to pursue acting.” No one had the patience to listen to a tipsy Siobhan pontificate on how she was a victim of Cat Grant’s abuse and how lucky Kara was to have been given that opportunity in the first place. The truth was, and they all knew it, Siobhan had neither the temperament nor the credentials to be Cat’s assistant. She just wanted the positive exposure the position provided. Lena knew that Kara, on the other hand, truly wanted to make her way in the world of journalism and wanted to do it without riding on famous Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent’s coattails. Lena hadn’t known that they were up for the same position, but knowing both of them as well as she does, she couldn’t begrudge Cat her choice in assistant. It wouldn’t do, however, to remind Siobhan of any of this so she just got out another bottle of wine and stayed up watching Real Housewives with her sister, or at least pretending to watch while she googled “Kara Danvers, CatCo Magazine” on her phone. 

Lena knew that she had to get better control of her reactions to hearing about Kara, especially if she was going to be in town and, ostensibly, hanging out with them in the near future. She was surprised and somewhat dismayed to find that Siobhan’s grudge didn’t extend to Kara and that her sister was actually quite eager to meet the woman who beat her out, probably in an attempt to curry favor, keeping her aspirations of a life in National City alive. James was looking forward to seeing Clark’s cousin whom he hadn’t seen in years, Siobhan wanted to scope out the competition and get an in, Mon-El heard "blonde from National City" and jumped on board with a voraciousness that unsettled Lena, and even Winn was curious to meet Director Danvers’ sister after having been informed that she too loves board games and Disney movies. In the end, it was something for all of them to look forward to for the week ahead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tune in tomorrow for Lena and Kara's long-awaited reunion! In the meantime, check out my [Tumblr](https://bluespruce25.tumblr.com/) for more Supercorp content.


	7. Completely and Totally Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena and Kara finally meet again after five years apart. What could possibly go wrong?

A few days later, Alex texted James to let him know that Kara had landed in National City. James went out to dinner with the Danvers sisters and Clark and Lois that Wednesday. The whole crew was scheduled to come out to the next cookout, which would be a total blow out. Siobhan was sad that the mysterious younger Danvers sister couldn’t meet them any sooner, but it really made the most sense to leverage their weekly tradition anyway. It would be less than a week until Lena saw Kara again. It couldn’t be avoided, and Lena just hoped she could keep it together that long. 

Kara found time in her schedule to grab lunch with James, Winn, and Mon-El downtown, where Siobhan and Lena were, themselves, headed when Siobhan came running out of the kitchen soaking wet. This, obviously, derailed any plans the sisters had of going into the city for lunch with the boys, and they were instead launched into the turmoil of trying to find a plumber to repair the sink. Lena managed to find the water valve and shut it off before any further damage was done, but the afternoon was busy with cleaning up the standing water and keeping an eye on the leak should it start up again. 

Winn and James got home from work just as Lena and Siobhan were ushering the emergency plumber out the door. He had secured the leak, but was unable to make repairs without a specific part and asked that someone be at home throughout the next day so that he could come back with the necessary materials to complete the repair. Lena knew that this was a bullshit excuse and, as a certified genius and world-class engineer, could have repaired the leak herself. She realized as James and Winn recounted their lunch with Kara, mentioning that they had convinced her to go out to dinner with them tomorrow, that the plumber gave her a perfect excuse not to go. It was clear from the descriptors used by the boys, that they were infatuated with Kara. So, while the others sat around the living room extolling the virtues of the charming blonde reporter, her bright blue eyes and terrible sense of humor, Lena was on her phone secretly cancelling the plumber’s visit for the next day. She would pretend to wait for him all day, and when he didn’t show up, she would stay behind saying that he wanted to come by later in the evening due to an emergency. It was a flawless plan, if she did say so herself. 

Siobhan, seeing the curiosity in Winn’s eyes, was initially adamant that the two of them stay to wait for the plumber themselves. When Winn pointed out that there was absolutely no point of him staying with them to wait for the plumber, that Lena and Siobhan were perfectly capable of handling the situation on their own without his, utterly useless, presence. Siobhan, of course, jumped at this. “Oh, Winn! You can’t seriously be thinking of going out to meet a hot new blonde while your girlfriend is home toiling over the plumbing can you?” The fix from yesterday had held, with some tinkering from Lena while the others were asleep, and they were expecting the plumber at any moment to come and fix it. They decided that, if the plumber came in time, they would all go to meet the new Danvers sister. Lena, of course, knew that this was an impossibility and, as the day wore into evening made a decision. 

“The plumber just called to let me know that he won’t be here until 8 pm.” Lena stated to the group, already assembled downstairs waiting to go. “No way!” Siobhan exclaimed, "how on earth are we going to make it to dinner?" “One of us will have to stay here,” Winn supplied. Mon-El pitched in his two cents, “You break it, you buy it. Siobhan, I think this one’s on you.” Siobhan huffed at this. “I don’t see why you all get to go to dinner and I don't. Afterall, you’ve all already met Kara and I spent all day yesterday dealing with the stupid plumber. It’s not like I broke the sink, I just happened to be the one using it when it went to hell. That’s not my fault!” Lena stepped in before it could escalate further. “I would be glad to stay and wait for the plumber. I have been the one communicating with him all day anyway and the service request is in my name. There’s no reason anyone else should need to stay for this, I can handle it while you all enjoy your dinner.” There were protests all around, but Lena held firm to her plan, and, in the end, the others were convinced. 

They took the train into the city while Lena pulled back her hair, rolled up her sleeves and got to work on the sink. She found just a _disgusting_ amount of Sioban’s long hair stuck in the drain and an entire fork mangled in the garbage disposal that hadn’t turned on the entire time she had been staying there. Within a few hours by herself, she had rebuilt the entire system and fixed the clog, the leak, and the disposal so that they were working even better than the day the housemates moved in. After that was done, Lena settled down with a glass of wine and a good book to enjoy the rest of her evening in solitude. She was proud of her success, that her plan had worked, that she had improved the plumbing, and that she could find peace in the bottom of a glass of wine and the worn pages of Foucault. 

That said, she still had a hard time keeping her thoughts from wandering to the dinner happening in the city. She wondered if the others talked about her to Kara, and, if so, what she felt about the prospect of seeing Lena again. Was she indifferent? Could she possibly be after how deeply they had felt for each other those years ago? Lena surmised that Kara must be either indifferent or unwilling to see her again because, had she wished to, Kara wouldn’t have had to wait this long to do so. After all, Alex made the good point that Lena was more than familiar with Kara’s cousin Clark and Clark, living in Metropolis, would’ve hosted Kara there at some point, Lena was sure. Even if that weren’t the case, Lena guessed from footage of Supergirl that it would take Kara approximately 15 minutes at less than top speed to fly to Metropolis from her home city on the West coast. Lena imagined that if Kara _had_ wanted to see her, she could’ve easily flown to Metropolis to do so, especially after she came out as Supergirl and could more freely use her powers. Then again, why would she after what Lena said to her when they saw each other last?

The house came back flush with the excitement of their new acquaintance. They had started with drinks at an upscale spot in midtown and then moved to a food hall in the financial district. Then, they went up to Chinatown for potstickers and karaoke at this place that Kara found. Everyone gushed over how funny Kara was, how good she was at karaoke, and how she drank Mon-El under the table. Lena chuckled at this, knowing full well that Kara can’t get drunk off of human alcohol and that Mon-El absolutely deserved the wound to his pride. It being Friday night, they all decided to get breakfast in town the next day. Kara was able to use some of her connections to get them a last minute table at Balthazar’s. Lena knew that the crew usually did Saturday hang-over cures at home, but deduced that Kara had enticed them out into the city, most likely in an effort to avoid seeing Lena. Kara had asked about Lena from Siobhan, mentioning that they had met briefly in National City during Lena’s time there, but gave no indication of the true depths of their feelings for one another. It seemed that they had both chosen to maintain the same white lie, they knew each other well enough to avoid having to be reintroduced, while downplaying significantly the extent to which they had been involved in one another’s lives. Kara, like Lena, was used to keeping secrets and shielding lies in a veneer of truth. 

Weekend mornings were always a slow affair in the Hoboken homestead. It was therefore surprising that while Siobhan and Lena were making themselves breakfast, the boys came back having already been to the city and back. They ran all about the house, to their respective rooms with hardly a word. From what little they said, Lena found that they were getting dressed in a hurry to meet Kara and Alex for a game of paintball at a nearby facility and that Kara and Alex would be there any minute to pick them up. They had left a few minutes early from brunch so that they could get their clothes changed and give Lena and Siobhan a heads up. When Lena communicated all she had gleaned to a completely zoned-out Siobhan, her sister yelped out loud, running off to join Winn in getting dressed for visitors. Lena was suddenly glad that she never left her room, in this case the basement, before making herself presentable for the day. Having already been on video calls with their investors in Singapore, she was wearing her signature pencil skirt and silk blouse. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun and she had donned some minimalist jewelry that showed off her impeccable bone structure. While the others flitted about, she simply stood at the kitchen island, sipping on her coffee and looking through recent research proposals from her team. Lena put on a brave face as the seconds ticked by until Kara would walk through the door, but internally her feelings were at war with themselves and with her. Mostly, she decided, she was just grateful that it would be a short interaction and that, once over, it would put them on more solid ground, without the furious anticipation that was currently threatening to upend the dry toast in her stomach. 

Within five minutes of the hurricane the boys unleashed upon their arrival, there was the sound of the door bell. Lena, being the only one in her right mind or state of dress, smoothed her skirt and walked over to answer the door. Upon opening it, she stood face to face with Kara, Alex standing just behind her sister’s shoulder, none the wiser of the moment transpiring between the two women facing each other. “Hello Director Danvers, Ms. Danvers.” “Alex, please.” “Of course, Alex. Won’t you both come in?” If being a Luthor had taught Lena anything, it was how to maintain basic manners in the midst of a tempest. She was no longer listening as the others had miraculously appeared in the living room in the time it took her to answer the door. Everyone was talking and laughing, easily engaging one another in the excitement of the day. The room seemed full, bordering on overwhelming for Lena. She found herself tucked into a corner, sitting at the breakfast bar built into the island separating the living room and kitchen. She had taken back up her mug of coffee to avoid fidgeting unattractively with her hands, another lesson taught to her by the one and only Lillian Luthor. In a matter of minutes, the whole business was wrapped up and everyone, save Lena and Siobhan, were on their way out the door to shoot colored pellets at one another until the welts became unbearable or they ran out of ammunition, whichever came first. 

Lena rejoiced to herself, “ _It is over! It is over!”_ in nervous gratitude. “ _The worst is over!_ ” Siobhan was speaking, but Lena couldn’t focus long enough to pay attention to her words. Lena had seen Kara, they had met and exchanged the appropriate pleasantries. They had been together in the same room once again, and nothing disastrous had occurred. No yelling, no dramatic professions of love, or tearful meltdowns. Lena’s mind soon caught up to her though, trying to subdue her feelings with logic. It had been five years since they had spent that summer together. Logically, it made no sense for Lena to continue to be this flustered by someone she had cared for during such a short period so many years prior. Five years was equal to a fifth of her life, certainly time could smooth over those feelings that had seemed so desperate at the time. Unfortunately, an analysis of the morning confirmed her previous hypothesis that five years was nowhere near enough to calm her heart or stop it from raging against the memories of her time with Kara. Time, in fact, amounted to nothing when faced with her smile once again. 

Now that Lena had analyzed her own feelings, she couldn’t help but settle herself into a deep dive of Kara’s potential feelings based on what she had observed thus far. With her next breath she was berating herself for the tangent her mind had gone down. Fortunately, she was spared the torment of this emotional whiplash when the boys returned a few hours later and she had the following input from Winn:

“Dude, I hate to say this, but Kara was kinda harsh about you back there. I mean don’t get me wrong, she was _extremely_ nice. When James asked her what she thought of you now, as we were all piling out of the SUV, and she said, ‘you were completely and totally different, so much so that she wouldn’t have recognized you again in passing on the street.’”

“Completely and totally different, huh?.” Lena repeated, her cheeks coloring in a deep blush. She moved to hide it behind her mug, now full of her favorite chamomile tea, the one that reminded her of warm hugs and Kara. She couldn’t say anything though, Kara was right.

When they had known each other, Lena’s pencil skirts and tailored blazers were the exception rather than the norm. At that time, Kara was more likely to see her in a white lab coat or lounging in one of her girlfriend's NCU sweatshirts than in man-killing stilettos. Even her signature red lip had been a more recent addition to her wardrobe. Lena couldn’t begrudge Kara the comment, nor could she reciprocate it because Kara looked exactly the same. Her sunny smile and penetrating blue eyes, her blushed cheeks and toned arms. Granted she had been wearing a full body jumpsuit covered in paint, but the sheer enthusiasm of the outfit was so on brand for Kara. Lena had already fully registered that Kara was more or less the same. There was a set to her hips, a confidence in her stance, and a glint in her eye that was new, but underneath, Kara was still the golden retriever puppy she had fallen in love with. No, Lena couldn’t deny that if Kara were changed at all, it was entirely for the positive. The intervening years which had turned Lena into a corporate machine, brokering deals and putting grown men to shame in her dressed-to-kill outfits had left Kara untouched barring the confidence that had bled into Kara Danvers from her Supergirl persona. Lena had, for all intents and purposes, seen the same Kara Danvers.

“So different that she wouldn’t have recognized her on the street!” These were words which could not but linger in Lena’s mind. Soon though, she was glad to have heard them. They stopped her runaway mind short and formed the walls of the tight little box into which she expertly stuffed her feelings and packed them away for good. Compartmentalization is good, it helps, she could be happy with that box tucked away.

Kara Danvers had said that about her, well something like that anyway, but without intending for it to reach Lena’s ears. She had seen Lena and thought her changed for the worse, and at the first possible opportunity, had shared those thoughts with her friends. Kara hadn’t forgiven her. Lena had treated her poorly, had left Kara with little explanation, and had accused the woman she loved of being untrustworthy. Even worse, Lena had shown her weakness, her ability to be controlled, her desperate need for approval, her apparent trust issues and a complete disregard for Kara’s feelings, for everything that made Kara worthy of so much more than Lillian Luthor’s bastard stepchild. 

Kara’s own sense of loyalty and justice, of right and wrong, couldn’t understand and couldn’t accept past-Lena’s decision. Lena had seemingly given Kara up to satisfy and protect her family at the expense of her own feelings. Lena never told Kara this, but Lena had severed ties completely to protect _Kara_ from her family, from Lex. In any case, Lena had been persuaded to give up the one thing that gave her life meaning. She had traded Kara's love for a new purpose, to stop Lex and protect Kara. Kara didn’t know that, and so she thought that Lena was simply shallow and fickle; easily manipulated and untrusting. 

Kara had loved her. Lena was smart enough to know that. She also knew from her quiet observation of the blonde that Kara’s social media never featured another significant other, but aside from seeking closure through their meeting this morning, Kara had no desire to spend further time in Lena’s company. Any light Lena may have brought to Kara’s life had long burnt out. 

Reaching her late twenties and having finally achieved her destiny as National City’s hero, Kara was ready to find love again, to find a partner who could know her and love her in her entirety. Kara’s whole life had changed. She was in the running for a Pulitzer for christ’s sake. She had taken up the mantle of Supergirl and donned her family’s crest to save the world. Kara had every intention of finding someone who could love her, as soon as possible. She had an open heart and was willing to be loved by anyone who could earn her affections. Kara identified as pan-sexual, she was open to falling in love with literally any person who could capture her heart. Really, the only person Kara _couldn’t_ fall in love with was Lena. This was Kara’s own secret exception, which she said to her sister, in answer to Alex's appraising look:

“Okay, yes Alex. I am waiting to fall in love with the first person who's interested because why not? What have I got to lose at this point? Every other part of my life is in order. I am smart and capable; I’m quite the eligible bachelor you know. First person with a kind and trusting heart, I’m theirs. I mean, I’m a superhero, I can’t exactly take dating seriously or I’ll never get around to it. I just want to be normal, as normal as I can be, with this _one_ thing. I want to get Tinder and go on bad dates and get my heart broken.”

Kara said all of this to get a rise out of Alex who was always a bit overprotective of her indestructible sister. Kara’s eyes twinkled and betrayed her thoughts of Lena when she went on to describe her ideal partner, “I want to be with someone who can understand me and the choices I have to make everyday, but who trusts me to know the difference between right and wrong. I just want someone to come home to and someone who challenges me to be better without accusing me of being worse. Someone who can’t be swayed easily and who likes me for me, not for Supergirl or for what I can give them.” 

“That’s all I'm looking for, and if I have to settle for less, honestly, at this point I will, but I’m not going to go throwing my standards out the window. If I am making a mistake, well then let me make it because I have thought about this for a long time Alex, more than most. I am not making this decision lightly, but I am finally deciding that I deserve to be happy too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tune in tomorrow to see Kara and Lena attempt to navigate the same circles and a Hoboken House Party. In the meantime, check out my [ Tumblr account ](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bluespruce25) for more Supercorp content.


	8. A Good Sense of Rhythm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frigid nonchalance at a Hoboken House party.

After this first, rather abrupt, introduction, Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor were repeatedly in each other’s company. Unfortunately, the plumbing issue was really only a one-time excuse for Lena to miss out on the group festivities. 

It was over this period that any chance of renewed feelings would become evident as they both were forced to make oblique references to the time they had shared together. Kara, with the occasional, “when I interned at CatCo.” and Lena with the, “when I spent the summer in National City.” Each of them having relevant little anecdotes from the period, but unwilling to name it for what it was. Neither of them made any explicit reference to the other, but Lena found herself  _ almost _ catching Kara’s eye at a mention of a mutually loved food cart. Lena couldn’t be sure that Kara’s eyes had wandered her way, but the faint flush creeping up the blonde’s neck as she continued her story told Lena that Kara was as much visited by their past as she herself was, lost in the lines between their story. Lena knew that Kara wouldn’t feel her insides being twisted together in abject pain like Lena did, but flattered herself enough to know that the instances didn’t go unnoticed. 

They only engaged at the bare minimum level to be considered civil and stave off suspicion from their friends. Lena couldn’t help but mourn what they had once been to one another, now reduced to the barest of acquaintances. She remembered when, in the same-sized group, they would’ve been glued to each other all night, sitting on the couch forgetting their drinks, lost in deep conversation. Lena knew, if their younger selves had been partners at the game night they now sat through, they would have cleaned house with their friends. She observed that they had once been so in tune, finishing each other’s sentences and fulfilling each other’s needs without ever voicing them aloud. Now, they barely knew one another, but it was worse than just being acquaintances because their past prevented them from ever getting to know one another better. They were stuck at a fixed emotional distance from one another for the foreseeable future; never too close but never too far. It was a perpetual estrangement.

When Kara spoke, it was the same voice and her enthusiasm was unchanged. There was a general awe about the glamour of the west coast and National City in particular. Kara regaled them with stories of her time as Cat Grant’s assistant and there was voracious interest in her tales; especially from Mon-El and James, Lena noted with amusement. They couldn’t stop questioning Kara about the famous people she must know and the rumors of the star-class. They were shocked to hear that Kara didn’t just eat breakfast with Chyler Leigh regularly, but that she had been invited to Melissa Benoist’s wedding to Chris Wood. Kara was not above stringing them along and poking fun at the starstruck ignorance of those in her midst. Kara and Lena both knew that Lena could spin a tale or two about American social elite, having much greater exposure than Kara, but neither of them moved to tell the others of this fact. Kara’s amusement was enough to secure Lena’s silence. 

Lena was laughing along pleasantly to Kara’s latest story about Harrison Ford when Siobhan’s voice cut in with a harsh whisper, “Ugh Lena, just imagine. This could’ve been me if Cat had just chosen me as her assistant.” Lena took a swig of her wine to hide her involuntary grin. Siobhan took her silence as an invitation to continue lamenting her poor fortune for a few minutes, and Lena lost track of the conversation going on in parallel to their own. When Siobhan relented long enough for Lena to bring her attention back to the main discussion, she found Mon-El and James giving Kara the third degree on Supergirl and her role as National City’s hero. “Is it true that her first save was a plane that was about to crash?” Kara nodded in assent and Lena saw as Alex took another swig of her beer, looking a little green around the gills. Well that confirmed Lena’s suspicion that saving Alex would’ve been the only thing that could’ve gotten Kara out of hiding and into the cape. “That’s true, she brought an airliner to ground in the river to avoid a crash. Most people don’t know this, but Supergirl never had any intention of joining her cousin in the family business. It was really more a matter of circumstances that forced her hand.” Mon-El and James picked that up and dove in with question after question, but Kara skillfully avoided them without putting the two giddy men off. She continued jokingly, “I’m not sure National City was really ready for a hero and I’m not sure she’s necessarily made the city safer, tending to stir up trouble, but overall, I like to think she’s a force for good.” “Pshhhhh” Alex scoffed, rolling her eyes at the obvious fishing expedition. “We both know that Supergirl has saved more lives in National City than could be counted in a lifetime. Supergirl gives the city something that no one else can; hope.” Kara responded, “I totally agree, I’m just saying that a lot of the more  _ violent _ aliens in the city were living underground peacefully before she came along. The villains seem to be rising to meet the new challenge.” Alex rebutted, “That may be the case, but you won’t hear me speak a word against her. We are all lucky to have Supergirl. I just wish _she_ could know how much she is loved and needed...by National City.” Lena could practically feel the current of electricity running between the two sisters, a whole conversation being had in the spaces between syllables. Of course everyone else was oblivious, but Lena could see the flicker in the corners of Kara’s eyes and in the set of her lips, telling a story all their own. 

It was here that Mon-El interjected, completely oblivious to the silent conversation he was interrupting. “I just can’t imagine going out there everyday and putting your body on the line to defend people who aren’t even grateful for it. Don't get me wrong, _so_ brave, but I don’t think I could do that. It’s too much responsibility.” Kara tilted her head at this, and bristled slightly. “I’ve met Supergirl and I don’t think she cares much about the gratitude one way or another. I think she feels like it’s her _duty_ to use her gifts for good.” 

They were all quiet at this when James spoke up thoughtfully, “It must be so lonely. I’ve met Superman once or twice, and it’s like he carries the weight of the whole world on his shoulders and has no one to share that destiny with.” Kara bristled again at this, “Superman _chooses_ to work alone. After all, he’s not the only Kryptonian on Earth. Supergirl chooses to work with friends, to have help and to trust others, to be part of a team. Sure she’s faster, stronger, and older than Superman, but the _biggest_ _difference_ is that Supergirl is one part of a bigger team and, while it’s true that there are somethings only the Girl of Steel can do, more often than not the only reason she  _ can  _ do them is because of the team behind her backing her up. She trusts others to help her and to make her a better person. Superman's distrust makes him weak. He was betrayed by his best friend and he never trusted again, not fully.” James seemed surprised at this. Lena knew that, once again, there was much more to this conversation than met the eye. She knew it, Alex seemed to know it, and certainly James and Kara knew it. Lena was suddenly struck with the knowledge that James Olsen knew Kara’s secret. James Olsen knew everything; about Clark Kent and Superman and Kara Danvers and Supergirl. Based on Kara’s comments about betrayal, James, Kara, and Alex knew about Lex too. James took Kara’s response in stride, smiling at her and tilting the neck of his bottle in her direction, conceding defeat. Kara took this opportunity to change the course of the conversation entirely.

“Speaking of friends and back-up, Alex have you heard anything from J’onn?” “Oh yeah, he’s at the secure facility wrapping some things up before he heads back to National City.” Turning to the rest of the group, Alex explains, “Director J'onzz is the Director of another Department of Defense installation in National City, as well as our friend Director Lane who commands yet another installation in a classified location.” Lena’s ears perk up at this and she leans over to Alex asking quietly, “General Sam Lane? I thought he was still an Army man?” Alex’s eyebrows rose in surprise, “No, you’re correct. This is his daughter Lucy Lane, former JAG officer, her sister is Lois Lane, recent wife of Clark Kent.” This caught Lena by surprise, but she tried not to let it show, settling for another sip of her wine. Catching Alex’s lingering gaze she explains, “I run LuthorCorp’s R&D department, so I'm privy to some of our more _sensitive_ military contracts as a result of my position. General Lane’s name has crossed my desk in that capacity on occasion.” Alex looked satisfied by this answer, but Lena felt the Director’s gaze lingering on her throughout the night, as if trying to unravel a puzzle. 

Having gone at least fifteen minutes without anything to contribute to the conversation, Siobhan, who had settled herself next to Lena on the couch, gestured for Kara to join them there. She effectively shoved Kara into the too small space between herself and Lena to whisper secrets about her acting career and ask questions about the illustrious Cat Grant, completely ignorant of the blush rising slowly up Lena’s neck as she attempted to focus on anything  _ other _ than the way Kara’s thigh was pressed tight against hers on the couch cushion. Lena considered that Kara was due some credit for putting up with Siobhan’s self-indulgences for as long as she did. Siobhan’s casual flirting with Kara was not lost on Lena or on Winn, but it seemed only to bother the former, which Lena reflected, is probably not healthy for any party involved. Kara seemed, however, to be entirely unaware of being entangled in anything other than pleasant conversation with a potential colleague. 

Eventually, the conversations drifted from topic to topic, covering the Alien Amnesty Act, feelings about President Marsden, journalistic ethics, and the goals and aspirations of the young professionals gathered around the coffee table. Eventually, Mon-El heard a song that caught his attention on the playlist going in the background and dragged everyone back upstairs to dance. Being sufficiently inebriated, most of the attendees were more than happy to oblige. Lena took her usual station at the improvised DJ booth, an oversized arm chair, and selected her best set list for the group. She was thankful that the dimmed lights and frenzied dancing hid her watery eyes. The benefit of DJing a house party is that no one pays you any mind. 

The house party continued on an energetic, positive note, with no one seeming to enjoy it more than Kara Danvers. Lena saw that the way she moved on the dance floor had only improved with time, having always had a good sense of rhythm and a deep love of music. Lena wasn’t blind to the way the sway of Kara’s hips seemed to attract the sway of others, particularly those of James and Mon-El who were, on the best of nights, eager and effective dancers. While there was no evidence of competition or jealousy between the two men, it was clear that they were both rather taken by the blonde dancing between them. If Kara lapped up the attention and enjoyed sharing the beat with her admirers, who could judge. 

Lena’s attention was somewhat distracted throughout the night, but luckily she had a rather mindless task, having put the mix together the week before and not seeing any cues coming from the dancefloor that required a quick substitution or change of direction. She went on this way for an hour or so. She noted, looking up that Kara appeared to be just drawing her eyes away from Lena’s face, having been nearly caught in the act of appraising it, Lena guessed that Kara was simply tracing the new lines her face had taken on, having sharpened and become more severe since they had known each other. At one point, Lena surmised that Kara had mentioned her in conversation, not even realizing she had overheard until the response filtered across her mind, but then she was sure that Kara had asked Mon-El, “Doesn’t Lena ever dance with you guys?” “Oh no, she hates dancing. She’s taken up DJing for us, she’s pretty good too. I think it’s like a new hobby for her.” 

A while later, Kara even spoke to Lena directly. Lena had just adjusted the music to a calmer rhythm sensing a shift in the dynamic and bringing an end to the dancing as folks started to enter the sleepy-drunk portion of the night. On the way back to her spot on the couch, Lena absentmindedly cleared out some junk emails, not noticing Kara sitting in her seat until she practically landed on top of her. Kara stood up quickly and motioned to the couch, “Oops! Sorry I think I stole your seat.” Lena tried to object, but Kara was already moving away, insisting that Lena take back her position from earlier. Kara’s cold attitude towards her was worse than anything she had imagined for their reunion. Her frigid courteousness and formal tone made Lena squirm in her skin and made the muscles around her heart clench in pain and frustration. Part of her wished they had never been put in this position at all, that Lena could have just continued on protecting Kara from afar without having to suffer through the shadow of her constant presence in her life. A shadow that now came without any of the warmth their love for one another used to bring. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You think this is bad? Just wait until Chapter 10 when Lena eavesdrops on a conversation she was never meant to hear. Tomorrow we see the drama unfold as the group realizes that James and Mon-El are both smitten and Imra returns from assignment. In the meantime, check out my [ Tumblr ](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bluespruce25) for more Supercorp content.


	9. Beloved and Admired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The house is thrown into turmoil by the arrival of Imra and Lena struggles with being in such close proximity to Kara.

Kara, it turns out, was in Metropolis on a prolonged remote assignment from CatCo. Kara had planned to spend a week or so with Clark and Lois, but found herself having so much fun with the Hoboken crew, that she put off the visit with her cousin. Not that he minded, he and Lois’s schedules were unpredictable as busy reporters at the Daily Planet. Clark was always going to be a tough subject for Kara and, as much as she wanted to mend some fences there, she was having much more fun being on the receiving end of the friendliness and flattery being thrown at her from every direction by the residents of the Hoboken house. Siobhan was funny in her over the top self-indulgence, Winn was kind and thoughtful, a fan of dad jokes that would put even Kara to shame, Mon-El and James proved to be thoughtful and _attentive_ companions. 

Pretty soon, Kara was as much of a feature in the house as Lena, coming by at all hours of the day to stay most of the night and spending every weekend there. Alex was busy with the new building, and the varied work schedules of the housemates ensured entertainment for Kara at any hour of the day. Moreover, she was in no way overstaying her welcome. It seemed that even an hour devoid of her presence was an hour too many for the housemates. 

Kara had been welcomed into their makeshift family with open arms and unity of opinion. She was beloved by all and admired in her entirety. Just as she was making herself at home, Imra Ardeen returned after her prolonged mission in Georgia to find her housemates totally enthralled in Kara. Following such a difficult assignment, Imra just wanted peace and quiet, which was now quite out of reach. It had been Lena’s understanding from Siobhan that Imra and Mon-El were in a somewhat exclusive relationship prior to her mission to Georgia and prior to Kara’s appearance in their lives. It was clear to everyone with any knowledge of the situation that her short absence had left Mon-El unguarded against the nature of his fickle heart. Mon-El was much like a moth to a flame, and while Imra was gone, the flame had somehow gone with her to be replaced by the sunlight of Kara’s smiles. It was clear when she returned that something had changed with Mon-El and it didn’t take long for the attachee to pin the behavior on Kara’s sudden appearance. 

Imra might come from the lesser known edges of the British royal family, but Mon-El was the son of Rhea and Lar Gand, he was a member of the American elite, and knew it. Lena was of the opinion that Imra would soon rise to global recognition in the vein of Amal Clooney and that Mon-El was, in fact, a deterrent to her meteoric rise, but the others seemed to feel differently. Ever the social grifter, Siobhan had been enamored with Mon-El’s status and access to the rich and famous from the moment Lena had introduced them. They had even dated for a time, but as always, Mon-El had moved on to greener pastures relatively quickly. Siobhan had held a grudge for awhile, making things in the house kind of tense, but eventually Winn joined their group and practically kissed the ground Siobhan walked on, giving her the constant validation she craved. Lena didn’t understand it, but she didn’t need to. She was just glad that, other than his infatuation with Siobhan, Winn seemed to have a good head on his shoulders and was uniquely skilled in tempering Siobhan’s less admirable qualities with his calm demeanor. 

Imra had moved into the house after responding to a craigslist ad when she first landed the job at the UN. Mon-El had pursued her immediately, drawn to her _because_ she was unavailable and uninterested. Eventually, she gave in to his advances and the house seemed to accept the intra-house dating as a matter of inevitability, especially after Winn and Siobhan got together. Lena wasn’t sure that anyone really _approved_ of the pairing, but they seemed at least adequately resigned to it. They seemed to agree that as long as Mon-El stayed within the bounds of propriety regarding their relationship, no one would get hurt. That is, until Kara showed up and Mon-El started testing the boundaries of emotional monogamy. 

Between James and Mon-El, it was actually unclear who Kara preferred, at least to Lena. Mon-El was more fun and care-free, and certainly more obvious with the nature of his attention towards Kara. He didn’t mince words and carried himself with a natural confidence born from years of getting anything and everything he had ever wanted. James was closer to what Lena pictured for Kara. He was just as confident as Mon-El, but instead of coming from a place of privilege, it came from having overcome the numerous obstacles in his path throughout his life. James was more thoughtful, had more convictions and a stronger sense of duty than Mon-El did. Lena was at a loss to say whether Kara was more attracted by the more carefree or more careful attitudes of the respective suitors. 

Upt to that point, Winn and Siobhan had nothing to say on the subject, either ignoring the clear signs of attraction or simply assuming that it would work itself without their involvement. No one mentioned Mon-El’s relationship with Imra until she had reappeared, and then Lena couldn’t go an hour without hearing an opinion from Siobhan or Winn on the subject. Winn was rooting for James, perhaps because they were such kindred spirits. Siobhan on the other hand, placed her bets on Mon-El. It seemed that their desire to add Kara to their social circle outstripped any sense of duty Siobhan felt towards her housemate. 

Winn had become very fond of Kara, perhaps because she was the only one who would laugh at his terrible puns. Winn pointed out when it was just the three of them that he heard Kara was on her way to a Pulitzer, that she was up for a promotion any day now. It seemed that Kara was really on the up and up and her kind spirit alone would make her worthy of either of their housemates. 

Siobhan agreed, “Just imagine what she can do with the connections she has! It’s incredible. Just think how well she would navigate in Mon-El’s circles having learned everything from Cat.” It suited Siobhan to think of Kara for Mon-El because she didn’t think that Imra was quite good enough for the socialite. She and Mon-El shared their illusions of grandeur and, frankly, Imra downplayed her own status as much as possible, something Siobhan just couldn’t understand.

“You know,” Siobhan said one night, “I just can’t figure out what Mon-El sees in Imra. She has no interest in bettering herself or moving up in life. She could be leveraging her position into greater recognition, but instead she spends half the year in a country no one has ever heard of, just one member of a team of 50 with no recognition of her status. I don’t think Mon-El has the option to choose a partner that can’t follow him into the family business and hold down the social obligations that come with that lifestyle. Imra is just not interested in rubbing shoulders with the right people to advance Mon-El’s career. I mean is she even a real royal? She certainly doesn’t act like it. No, she and Mon-El will never work long term.”

Winn surprised Lena by pushing back against his girlfriend’s statements, being somewhat grounded and decent at heart like Imra. He noticed her desire to do good and saw the merit in it. “Okay, now you’re just making things up.” he said to Siobhan. “Sure Mon-El wants to have his pick of supermodels and actresses, but do you see any of those in Hoboken? Imra doesn’t aspire to fame and recognition, that’s true, _but_ she does good, admirable work all around the world and has advanced quickly through the ranks of the UN. Let’s not forget how much of an accomplishment that is in of itself. Don’t forget either, that Imra may not be in line for the throne, but she _will_ be Lady Ardeen someday and inherit her family’s modest estate in England. Mon-El could certainly do worse. Besides, she keeps him grounded and, frankly, makes him want to be a less of a prick. She wants to make this world better and I think, between the two of them, they might just do that someday. No, if Mon-El gets his head out of his ass and apologizes to Imra, they could still be happy together and James would be free to date Kara without blowing up the whole house with this drama.”

“Winn can say whatever he wants,” Siobhan hissed at Lena as Winn left the room to change the laundry, “but Imra just isn’t good enough for Mon-El. Can you imagine? Mon-El loves having fun and has such an outgoing personality. Imra is just a massive stick in the mud. She just cares about ' _human rights'_ and ' _world peace'_. I mean what even is that, we’re in our twenties?! I, for one, am glad that Kara has caught his eye. She knows how to have fun and clearly has a good head on her shoulders. Mon-El barely paid attention to Imra yesterday when Kara was here. And as for Kara liking James as much as Mon-El, that’s just nonsense. Obviously Kara likes Mon-El more, you can tell from the way they were glued together on the dance floor the other night, that was hardly platonic. Winn is so sure, but if you had seen Mon-El and Kara yesterday at the street festival you would see what I mean. I’m positive you would agree with me.” 

Lena had stayed home the day before, opting to work through some urgent work emails after an incident in one of the satellite labs early that morning instead of going to the St. Anne’s street festival with the rest of them. In truth, the work emergency was just an excuse to avoid spending the whole day watching the boys drool over Kara. 

When it came to her views on Kara’s love life, Lena couldn’t say that she had a preference. She wasn’t convinced that either of the current candidates could handle Kara, let alone Supergirl, with their fragile male egos, but she supposed that Kara wouldn’t be stringing them along unless she had at least some interest in them. She knew that Kara would never intentionally pit them against one another, but, at the same time, she tended to be kind of oblivious to that sort of thing. 

Lena remembered with a smirk five years prior, " _when a waitress had flirted with Kara all night only to leave her phone number on their receipt. Lena made a show of taking the receipt, platinum card in hand, and paying for their meal, leaving an overly generous tip. When the waitress proceeded to hazard a wink in Kara’s direction, Lena asked her if the owner was in that night. The waitress paled but went to get her. When Lena’s boarding school acquaintance Roulette stepped out, dressed to the nines, signature snake tattoos on full display in her fitted red dress with bare shoulders and a generous slit up the side, Lena took the opportunity to flirt shamelessly for several minutes before turning back to Kara who was staring open mouthed at the women. Without looking back at Roulette, Lena had said, 'Roulette, do you think you could find us a piece of cheesecake to-go and add it to my tab? We have a busy night planned and I have a feeling we're going to need a snack before it’s done.' Roulette just smirked and motioned a hand at the waitress who was now visibly green. Turning back to the owner, Lena noted the smug look on her face and knew that Roulette was somewhat impressed with the bold display that she never would have suspected from the always proper, soft-spoken Lena from their school days in Ireland. Just in case her point hadn’t been clear, Lena had been sure to really_ drive _the point home later that night, laying claim to Kara’s skin and marking her territory in ruby red lipstick."_ Lena shook herself free of the memory, still blushing faintly.

The truth is, Lena knew that Kara would never knowingly set James and Mon-El against each other, but Lena had gotten the sense that Kara was letting loose a bit here in Metropolis, exploring her options in a carefree attitude that was a firm departure from both her bubbly, clumsy persona as Kara Danvers and her serious, weight-of-the-world persona as Supergirl. _"Maybe,"_ Lena thought, _"this is who Kara Zor-El really is"_ , but somehow that didn’t quite sit well with Lena. With regards to Imra, Lena was sure that if Kara knew what she was walking into with Mon-El, she would take a hard pass. Kara was many things, but the greatest of these was self-righteous. Lena knew that, on Krypton, marriages were determined by a Codex and that divorce was not only illegal, but simply not done. Lena knew that, even if Earth customs were somewhat more lax, Kara would take the prior commitments between Mon-El and Imra seriously. Lena had once watched her take out her wrath on a neighbor who she had accidentally found to be cheating one night courtesy of her wandering superhearing. Needless to say, that neighbor moved out shortly after; jobless, partnerless, and with a deep-seated fear of Supergirl. That being said, Lena felt for Imra and, if Mon-El wasn’t willing to follow through on his commitment to her now, better they find out sooner rather than later.

Imra Ardeen had seen enough for her to get the gist of what was going on and possessed enough self-respect to be horrified by it. She had been with Mon-El long enough at that point to give him a chance to fix it, but it was still alarming to see how quickly he had essentially cast her off to pursue Kara. Imra had only been gone about a month, having left Mon-El seemingly in love, and yet, when she returned he was almost a completely different person towards her. When she left, they had discussed her potential reassignment which would have her in the Metropolis office permanently, rather than traipsing around the world as an attachee. At the time, it seemed like Mon-El wanted nothing more than for her to come back to the house and be with him all the time. They even talked about downsizing into sharing a room or getting a one bedroom together somewhere in the neighborhood to save money on rent since they basically slept in the same room every night anyway. The whole house had been excited at the news that Imra would be around more often, as they all cared for their friend, but Mon-El had been over the moon at the idea. By the time her trip got extended from two weeks to a month and she returned, the excitement over her promotion had dissipated, and no one cared to hear about her promising conversation with the Commissioner of her branch. James was busy looking out the window for Kara’s Uber to pull up and even Mon-El was only half listening, trying to decide which jacket better matched his outfit. All the excitement in his eyes was reserved for their plans with Kara that day, leaving none for his future with Imra. 

“Listen, I’m really glad to hear that, babe, but we kinda knew this was coming for awhile right? I thought it was a done deal when you agreed to the extension in Georgia. Is she pulling up James?”

\---

One morning, shortly after St. Anne’s festival, Kara strolled through the front door into the living room, casual as anything, where Lena was busy pouring over schematics. Kara was clearly surprised to find herself in close quarters with Lena and no buffer between them. She blushed and adjusted her glasses nervously, “Sorry, I thought James and Mon-El would be here. We had planned to take the ferry over today to walk around the Battery." Kara paused to look at the digital clock on the microwave behind Lena's head, "Oh my god, it’s not even ten o’clock is it? I just am such a morning person, I didn’t realize how early it still was. I’m sure they’re still asleep. I’ll just go grab a coffee and come back later.” Lena forgot how cute it was when Kara rambled. Cute, but also the source of the agonizing knife twisting between her ribs as it invoked far too many memories of conversations on park benches and over candlelit dinners. Lena stopped her with a soft smile before she spiralled any further, “The boys are up, they’re just taking turns showering and getting dressed. They should be down in the next half hour or so.” Lena was just about to leave when who should came downstairs into the living room, but Imra Ardeen herself. Imra slowed her step, eyeing Kara with thinly veiled suspicion and a hint of hostility. Imra looked about as pleased to see Kara as Lena guessed that Kara had been to see Lena. Lena, playing hostess in someone else’s house, told them both to sit down while she grabbed some coffees from the kitchen. Kara, always the bright and chipper optimist, looked as if she was about to strike up conversation with Imra when the british woman took out her phone and started scrolling pointedly through social media, ignoring the blonde all together. In an attempt to break the tension, Lena offered the two women coffee. Kara accepted, but Imra replied that she doesn’t drink coffee. 

A minute later, Siobhan appeared, and if Kara was the sun that woke the rooster in the morning, Siobhan was Dracula. Allergic to mornings and to morning people, Siobhan quickly demanded coffee and silence from the others on the main floor. She wanted, "toast with jam, no actually with marmalade, no actual dry cereal would be better, actually do they have any soy milk left? She’d have that with her cereal, but not too much. She doesn’t like soggy cereal." Lena took all this in stride, not losing a beat to her sister’s terrible mood and demanding tone. At one point, Lena did say, “Siobhan, I’ll get you some breakfast, let me just get the coffee going for our guest first. Would you like some?” “Siobhan,” Imra interjected, “why don’t you lay off Lena for a few minutes and get your own breakfast. Unless you suddenly lost your ability to care for yourself while I was gone.” Siobhan just scoffed at Imra, who was not helping her case in Siobhan’s eyes when it came to Mon-El. Siobhan ignored Imra and yelled over to Lena, now fully in the adjoining kitchen, “Lee, do we have any fruit for breakfast? Can you cut me up some strawberries to go in my cereal?” Lena, with her back to her sister, just rolled her eyes and finished with the coffees. She turned to give Kara her coffee, made to her exact liking, which Lena hadn’t even realized she remembered until she saw Kara’s smile after taking a sip from the mug. Looking down, Lena realized that Kara had the box of strawberries out on the counter and was in the process of cutting them into meticulous, thin pieces. Lena noticed, with an internal chuckle, that Kara was chopping away wildly and that any human would already be on the way to the emergency room at risk of bleeding out, but Kara’s impenetrable skin made chopping fruits and veggies one of her most useful skills in the kitchen. Lena was so full of warm feelings and memories of failed baking adventures that she couldn’t get the words to thank Kara out of her mouth before the blonde was walking away with Siobhan’s bowl of cereal in one hand and her cup of coffee in the other. 

Lena didn’t know what to think. Kara’s kindness in intervening on her behalf, the silence in which it had transpired, and every small detail of the interaction rattled around in her brain. Lena could tell from the volume at which Kara was engaging Siobhan in conversation that the woman she used to love was purposefully avoiding having to speak to Lena. Lena could also tell from Kara’s body language and the way that she was pretending to be enraptured by Siobhan’s third telling of how she _almost_ had Kara’s job, that Kara had absolutely no desire to carry a conversation with her. This created a force of such mixed emotions that Lena had barely recovered her usual stoic veneer before James and Mon-El came barreling down the stairs to join them. Lena left them to it and made her way downstairs to where her suitcase was stowed to collect her thoughts in the bathroom, leaving Kara to the others. It was obvious by the look on Imra’s face as Lena left the room that she did not care one lick for the bubbly blonde who positively glowed with everyone’s attention in the center of the living room. Lena noted Imra’s jealousy at having been displaced by Kara, but frankly didn’t have any more room in her brain at that moment as it had been entirely taken over by conflicting thoughts and feelings as the boxes into which she had shoved her feelings for Kara five years ago suddenly sprang open with vigor. Lena hated to admit it, even to herself, but she was ashamed by how much Kara’s small act of kindness had overcome her. She resolved to spend the rest of the day by herself in the basement recovering in silence, throwing herself back into her work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm late to post tonight, tough day at work! I hope the angst it worth it. It'll get worse before it gets better. I'm so excited for tomorrow's post as it starts to get into the grit of the issues between Kara and Lena. In the meantime, check out my [ Tumblr ](https://bluespruce25.tumblr.com/) for more Supercorp content.


	10. Infatuation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James and Mon-El vie for Kara's affections, and Lena overhears a troubling conversation.

Other opportunities to analyze the developing romantic entanglement were inevitable. It didn't take long for Lena to draw her conclusions, though she was smart enough to keep them to herself, knowing that her opinions would appeal to no one. While Lena thought James probably had the upper hand with Kara, especially since apparently he knew her super secret. It was Lena’s estimation, however, that Kara was not particularly head over heels for either guy. They were both enraptured with her, there wasn’t one among them who hadn’t inadvertently flirted with Kara at some point. Lena’s not sure if it had anything to do with her Kryptonian charm, but it seemed that people just flocked to Kara’s inherent warmth. 

Lena was wise enough, however, to recognize that James and Mon-El were hardly in love with Kara, they were just caught up in the throws of infatuation, but, Lena conceded, there was enough time left that the question of love could still develop. Imra made it clear that she was aware of Mon-El’s slight, and yet Mon-El could be seen occasionally to be torn between the two. Lena found herself rolling her eyes to herself many times throughout the ordeal, wishing that she could just lay it all out for them so they could evaluate the situation more clearly; could see the damage they were angling to cause amongst themselves. Lena knew each of them well enough to know that any harm done was unintentional. She truly believed that Kara was just blissfully unaware of the chaos she was creating within the house. Kara wasn’t gloating, didn’t have the appearance of taking any pleasure at the others’ expense. She was, however, revelling a bit too much in the romantic attentions of two men at the same time. Lena considered it to be rather out of character for Kara to entertain multiple potential partners at the same time, even if she hadn’t acted on anything at that point. 

After a few days, Imra made it clear that she had no interest in competing. She soon threw herself back into work. She rarely spent more than a few hours at the house between work and sleep, choosing to eat dinner at the office rather than be around the rest of them. Siobhan was sure that Mon-El had broken things off with her definitively. Lena couldn’t help but think that Imra had gotten herself out of the relationship just in time. 

___

One morning, Winn and Kara had gone to a comic book store in the city to stand in line for a special edition Batman comic being released that morning. James and Mon-El came down to have brunch with Lena and Siobhan who had already been up for a while. The boys just grabbed a piece of toast each, on their way out the door to take the train into the city to check out the new dessert place that had chocolate chip cookies in the shape of shot glasses filled with milk. They assumed that Siobhan and Lena wouldn’t want to go, Siobhan because she is lactose intolerant and Lena because she usually spends her Saturday’s working. Siobhan bristled at the obvious dismissal, “Of course I want to come! Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite and I can just take a lactaid for the milk.” Lena felt compelled to step in by the looks being exchanged between the two men. It was obvious that they were rather hoping to slip out without Siobhan. It amused Lena to see them tangle themselves up in a web of passive aggression, the effect of living together in close quarters where everything had to be discussed and documented and where every outing was implicitly an open invitation to the whole group. Suddenly, Lena saw more clearly the merits of having lived alone all these years. Lena tried to convince Siobhan that they should wait and make a girls day of it some day that week, that it would be less crowded on a week day anyway. Siobhan was not to be swayed and so Lena gave in and offered to join them, offering herself up as a buffer like some kind of consolation for her sister. This way at least, when Siobhan inevitably became a poor sport about spending the day in the city, Lena could go back with her so the boys could continue on with their day. 

“I can’t imagine why they would think I wouldn’t want to go just because I’m lactose intolerant,” Siobhan confided to Lena as they went to change their clothes. “Everyone is always leaving me out of things and making decisions for me. Well when they stopped by the kitchen specifically to tell us about their plans and invite us to join them, how could I say no?”

Just as they got off the train in the city, they received a text to the group chat that Winn and Kara were finished up at the comic book shop and looking to meet up with them to try these infamous cookie shots. They had been standing in line for hours and were particularly in the mood for some overpriced, gimmicky dessert to celebrate their success at obtaining a copy of the coveted comic. Had Lena known that they would all meet up, she would have happily stayed at home enjoying the solitude and immersing herself in work. Having already come all the way into the city though, she decided to stay and see how it all played out. James and Mon-El led the way, as they had been the ones to find the dessert spot and knew where it was. 

Lena’s primary goal with the outing was to avoid getting into anyone’s way, and to, effectively, make herself as small as possible. Where the crowded sidewalks made walking together as one large group impossible, Lena tried to stick close to Winn and Siobhan. Lena was surprised to find herself rather enjoying the walk through the city. The exercise was invigorating and she was little used to it. The day was cloudy and cool so she wasn’t overheated and the garbage littering the streets didn’t reek of baked sewer like it was sometimes wont to do in the summer sun. Increasingly as they walked, Lena found herself enamored by the fascinating architecture on display and the sheer variety of shops and boutiques lining the sidewalk. She cast her eyes around at the bustling streets, thinking about all the odes written to the city of Metropolis by the worlds’ famous poets and song-writers. She spent her time trying to recall the various lyrics and stanzas written in the city’s honor and succeeded, therefore, in ignoring Kara’s exchanges with James and Mon-El almost entirely. It was merely babble adding to the overwhelming noise of the chaotic city streets. It was a lively chat between young people on intimate footing with one another, and it was clear that Kara was favoring her exchanges with James who was certainly trying harder to keep her attention. As they walked, the discrepancy between Kara’s attentions to James and Mon-El seemed only to increase. 

Lena caught the tail end of an exchange between Kara and James. Kara started, “...Alex to be out on her bike today. She told me she plans to take a long drive around the city. She mentioned something about circling back through here on her way back to her apartment. I wonder what trouble she’ll get up to today. Ya know, she acts all prim and proper like a real government stick in the mud, but she has a secret rebellious streak. She just can’t help getting herself into trouble.” Kara’s brow furrowed into its signature crease, but only those who knew her well would know that it meant she was genuinely worried. The others took it at face value when she laughed it off. James interceded, “I know you worry about her, but I have to say, I really admire her. It’s all well and good to be safe and comfortable, but I’d like to think that if I came across trouble, I would do the right thing too. I think it is so inspiring that Alex devotes her life to protecting all of us. I'd like to think I do that in some small way as Guardian. When I have people I care about, I would rather stay and fight for them, to protect them, than keep myself safe. Besides, it’s easy to do good in a place like National City or Metropolis where you can trust that there’s always a Super there to save the day if things go sideways.”

He said it with a glimmer in his eye and conviction in his voice. “Is that so?” Kara remarked, lightening the mood after such heavy sincerity. They exchanged smiles and fell silent for a bit. 

Lena tried to return to quoting her favorite passages about Metropolis, but was unable to focus. There were too many songs about love and poems about loss. She brought herself out of her thoughts long enough to point out the building they were passing. “Hey, isn’t that the UN building where Imra works?” Lena hadn’t realized how far they had walked after getting their dessert. They had walked all the way from SoHo to Midtown East without even thinking. Either no one heard her over the blaring horns of 1st ave, or they just didn’t care to respond. Lena realized that, despite their reluctance to acknowledge it, the group’s proximity to the UN building was anything but a coincidence. Coming up on the majestic buildings with the lines of flags out front, Siobhan suddenly exclaimed, “Wait a second, isn’t this where Imra works? How did we end up all the way over here? I totally lost track where we were. I should head back, I have an audition in the morning and I’m going to be _so_ sore after this.”

Mon-El leaned against the barricades out front, looking up at the building towering over them. His expression was thoughtful and a bit guilty. He stood up to leave with the group at Siobhan’s insistence, but Winn and James both spoke up, alternating their shouts of, “No! Wait! We’re here we might as well see what Imra’s up to. Maybe she’ll walk back with us.” James took Mon-El aside and they were deep in conversation while the others perused the plaza and different informational plaques there. Winn was adamant that he wanted to check on Imra and was trying to convince Siobhan to come too. She wasn’t having it though, “I already told you, my legs and feet are going to be sore as it is. I’m going to find a bench and wait for you all to sort it out.” After a bit of further discussion, the plan was decided. Winn and Mon-El would go see if they could visit Imra and the rest of them would wait outside on the plaza for them. It was clear that James had played an instrumental part in organizing the situation and walked towards the security with Mon-El appearing to hype him up for whatever came next. While the boys were talking Siobhan took the opportunity to complain to Kara, “I don’t know why they all make such a fuss over Imra. She’s not even that pretty.” 

She received no answer to this outburst other than for Kara to clench her jaw in subtle disdain. Most would have missed it, but Lena knew that it was Kara biting her tongue; that she was livid. Frankly, Lena completely agreed and, for what it was worth, Lena happened to think that Imra was drop dead gorgeous, but more importantly she was incredibly bright. Lena had looked into her more after she returned from Georgia and was surprised to find that she had a record that was both comprehensive and overwhelmingly successful in her role as attachee. She had resolved complicated disputes that had been decades in the making and had been the face of some of the UN’s most successful good will campaigns. Lena knew that Kara didn’t need to know any of this to be peeved by Siobhan’s callousness, but still, Lena wished she could tell her anyway. The Kara she remembered always loved hearing about strong successful women, almost as much as she loved puppy videos and Disney movies. 

They found a cool but busy spot on the plaza to sit down; an open bench at their disposal. There was only enough room for two because of the stupid anti-homeless bars. Lena made a note to make some calls about that on Monday. Siobhan was perfectly content to hog the bench while everyone else stood. When James and Kara wandered off in search of a hot dog cart, Lena caved and joined her sister on the other side of the bench. As soon as the others were out of sight, Siobhan started in on complaining to Lena, who frankly, could care less. Being the doting sister that she is, when Siobhan lamented missing her opportunity to get something to drink, despite being desperately parched, Lena left Siobhan there and promised to go get them some water. Lena stood in line at the snack cart behind James and Kara, not wanting to intrude on their first moment alone, but couldn’t help overhearing snippets of their conversation. It was obvious that they hadn’t seen her and Lena’s pride prevented her from making herself known. She tuned in just as James explained, “so I pushed him towards the turnstiles and told him to get his ass up there. I can’t believe he was wimping out on going to see her after everything he put her through! God, not only was he being an insecure brat, but he didn’t even think about how his actions were impacting Imra. I can’t imagine treating someone I cared about with so little feeling. He’s a good guy, really, but he just has massive trust issues, you know what I mean? She was gone for a few weeks and suddenly he thought she _had_ to be cheating. He was jealous of the _idea_ that she _could_ cheat while aboard. And this is Imra we're talking about here; bleeding heart, do-gooder, Imra. I mean what is that? I know he can be self centered, but he accuses her of cheating for no reason and then tries to get back at her by hitting on you. The kid needs therapy.”

“So this whole time he was just flirting with me to get back at Imra for his own insecurities?”

“Yeah, absolutely. Mon-El has the potential to be a really good guy, but it’s not natural for him. Imra is honestly the only reason he has any moral compass at all. When he first came to live with us...let’s just say it was a bit of a culture shock for him to not be able to say and do whatever he pleased all the time. Apparently they don’t teach ethics at those fancy boarding schools. I think he knows Imra is way out of his league and he doesn’t know how to handle that.”

“Well then I’m glad that you were such a good friend to the both of them, and I hope they figure things out between them. It can be hard having to relearn how to navigate through the world, but it sounds like Mon-El’s heart is in the right place, as long as his ego doesn’t get in the way. I had a feeling there was more to the story after the last time we all got together, but obviously I had  _ no _ idea that they were dating. Jeesh I can see now why you and Winn directed us this way, that guy has some _major_ making up to do. Ya know, I really am glad they are sorting it out, but I can’t help but wonder how they’re going to do together in the future.Trust is so important. With, ya know,* _ who I am* _ and everything, trust just isn’t something I can gloss over. It has to be the foundation of every relationship. Wow, I’m just glad that he has someone like you to set him on the straight and narrow; a role model for how to earn and practice trust. I can only hope you rub off on him a bit.” 

Kara gestured to the hot dog cart, “take this for example. You have millions of people coming and going every day in this city. Buildings going up and coming down, businesses could last weeks or span generations, but no matter what, if you’re in Midtown Metropolis you are never more than two blocks from a hot dog cart. It is constant and consistent. It weathers the changes happening all around it and is always there for comfort when you need it. And the hot dog cart does not begrudge the dollar slice. There's no envy there. Both are equally loved and necessary. But you can always count on a hot dog cart, trust it. Metropolis might be able to crush the little guy, but it’ll never crush the hot dog cart. Cheers - to a hot dog we can trust.” They both laughed at her ridiculous, food-based analogy before Kara returned to her more serious tone from earlier, “All I want from a partner, is someone I can count on; who understands the sacrifices I have to make and who trusts me to make the right decision; who would help me pick the right thing to do, not the easy thing or the loyal thing, the  _ right _ thing. I need someone I can trust. I guess, to me, that’s what love is. It’s trusting someone to do the right thing, no matter what and knowing that they understand that all I ever want as _ you-know-who _ is to do the right thing. I guess I just hope that wherever you end up in life, you’ll be like a hot dog cart. Trustworthy and dependable.”

Kara had given her inspiring speech, a talent borrowed from Supergirl that Lena had never actually seen her employ as Kara. James didn’t say anything, but really how could he follow that? Kara had basically laid out her intentions and her feelings for James as clear as night and day. Lena could imagine from experience the thoughts that must be going through James’ head. In her own head, Lena was working quickly to figure out how to step out of line without catching their attention, but the two were letting their eyes wander a bit in the lapse in conversation. Lena resolved to stand as still as possible and hoped to remain unseen. The man in front of her was taller and wider than her and was, for the time being, providing adequate cover. As they stepped up to make their order, but before they received it, Lena heard James say, “Siobhan isn’t so bad to live with. I mean she can be extra and shallow, but she’s not so bad once you get used to her. I do wish though that Lena was the one staying in the house full time and wasn’t just crashing on our couch short term. I suppose you know that she’s just staying until she heads out to National City after the whole merger?”

After a pause that Kara played off as putting condiments on her hot dog, Lena heard her ask, “So she’s leaving everything here behind to move out there because of LuthorCorp?”

“Yeah, I guess her brother keeps her on a pretty tight leash. That whole family is just wild levels of loyalty, and I mean, she is just like them. She’s a total workaholic. I haven't seen her take a day off the whole time she’s been staying with us. I’m pretty sure her brother got caught up in some shady stuff too. Clark was telling me about some of the weapons projects they're working on, anti-kryptonian stuff. As the head of R&D, I have to imagine that’s Lena’s bread and butter. It’s so weird to think that someone so nice and generous could be so dangerous. Just watch what you say around her, okay? I know you’re careful with your secret and everything, but she’s the last person you would want to find out something like that. I just don’t trust her. She’s too cold, too calculating. She never lets us in. Even after weeks of living under the same roof, I don't actually know a single thing about her. I suppose she _is_ a Luthor after all.”

“Wow, I guess I didn’t realize she was so involved in all of that. I knew she worked on their technology team, but I didn’t realize that she was the driving force. I definitely didn’t know she was directly involved in the anti-kryptonian stuff. I always thought that was just Lex and Lillian’s thing. Then again, I guess I wouldn’t know would I? Like you said, she’s a hard woman to get to know; and an even harder woman to trust.”

“From what we know she’s the project lead. Lois has been looking at the whole cabal, including Mon-El’s mom Rhea and their real estate guy Morgan Edge. I told her to be careful, but you know how she can be about these things. I’ve heard Mon-El talk about how close Lena and Rhea are. It just blows my mind how deep Lena is in all of this when she’s sleeping in my basement and DJing my house parties.”

They walked off without looking back and Lena was glad because she was sure that her face showed every emotion going through her mind. She couldn’t focus long enough to get her Luthor mask back into place with the turmoil coursing through her. She barely registered ordering the waters and paid with the first bill in her wallet before walking away, not even caring about the change, just wanting to sit down somewhere to process. She had been made out to be a villain; a caricature of herself. She could hear the disdain in Kara’s voice when she responded to James and knew that Kara thought the worst of her. It was evident that Kara had been affected by the conversation and had encouraged James to expand on his thoughts to satisfy her own curiosity. 

Furthermore, their conversation confirmed what Lena had always suspected; the roommates of the Hoboken house didn’t actually like her, they simply tolerated her because she was Siobhan’s sister and was occasionally handy to have around. They weren’t actually her friends, they were just being polite and non confrontational. “ _ Cowards, _ ” Lena thought. She shouldn’t have been surprised. It had always been the same for her. Her mother had made a point to bribe, threaten, and blackmail all potential friends or love interests her whole life. Lena had never been genuinely loved or even cared for by anyone except her brother, who now hated her, and Kara who would never forgive her. She stood staring at the flags waving in the wind unseeing and unmoving until she had reached a resolution and pulled herself back into a disinterested front before rejoining the others. 

She brought the waters back to Mary and they were rejoined shortly thereafter by the remainder of their group. The strength in numbers gave her some leeway in escaping the scrutiny of the others. Winn and Mon-El came back with Imra in tow, fingers laced together with Mon-El and a rather sickening smile plastered on both their faces. Lena wasn’t in a place to scrutinize events too closely with the gears turning in her mind, and neither was Kara, but they both understood at some level that Imra had given Mon-El the cold shoulder, Mon-El had come around, and now they were happily together again. Mon-El had the good taste to look a bit ashamed by his stunt, but this was secondary to his pleasure at being back on good terms with the beautiful woman by his side. Imra, too, seemed happy and settled with their recommitment to one another. They were disgustingly inseparable the rest of the way back to Hoboken. 

Everything seemed quite settled for James and Kara, who were now more open and direct with their overtures towards one another. They didn’t hesitate to walk side by side the way back through Manhattan to the train station, leaving the others to trail behind them. Lena fell in again with Winn and Siobhan, walking alone when the narrow sidewalks required it. Winn took the women by the arms and, while he had much to say to Lena, he in turn had very little to say to his girlfriend. Siobhan was being a bit of a brat and so he had resolved to let her have her tantrum without his indulgence. Soon Winn and Lena were engaged in deep conversation to the point that, where the sidewalks narrowed to only allow two people at a time, Winn would drop Siobhan’s arm in favor of continuing his conversation with Lena uninterrupted. Obviously, it didn’t take Siobhan long to catch on and start complaining about being picked on. At this, Winn just dropped both their arms and hurried to catch up with Mon-El and Imra. 

They were just crossing in front of Grand Central when Kara got a call from Alex who had spotted them heading towards Park Ave. Kara put her phone on speaker phone and they all invited Alex to join them back at the house as they planned to order pizza and she eagerly agreed, going so far as to offer a ride to anyone who didn’t want to make the train trip back. As they spoke, Alex pulled up next to them on her bike. It was a general invitation and James declined it generally after quickly surveying the group. He and Kara were clearly enjoying each other’s company, as were Imra and Mon-El. Winn was perfectly comfortable, and Siobhan was aghast at the idea of taking up the back seat of a motorcycle belonging to someone she didn’t want to eventually have sex with, not that she said as much, but Lena could read it on her face like a jumbo-sized word search. 

The walk signal changed and they were about to cross and Alex was leaning over to start her bike back up when Kara walked over to her to say something quietly. The something became obvious by what happened next. “Lena, you look a bit burnt from the July sun. Why don’t you hop on so we can get some aloe on it back at the house and that way you won’t make it worse on the rest of the walk. Nope, not taking no for an answer. Don’t even think about it. Hop on.” Alex held out a spare helmet and Lena turned to find six pairs of eyes looking at her expectantly. Sighing, Lena took the helmet and resigned herself to her fate. Without saying a word, Kara reached out to steady Lena as she climbed onto the bike somewhat awkwardly, trying to avoid the searing hot exhaust near her leg. 

Right, so; Lena was now on the back of Alex Danvers’ motorcycle because Kara had made sure that she was alright. Kara’s kindness and attention left her at least an hour before the others would get back. It was obvious that Kara picked up on Lena’s discomfort from being out in the sun and being drained every second by the emotionally jarring social interactions of the day. Lena was startled and touched by Kara’s attentiveness and that Kara clearly still held some positive feeling toward Lena, even if it was merely chivalrous in nature. With this, Lena was able to complete the analysis of Kara that had been mulling around the back of her head since the moment Lena learned of Kara’s imminent arrival in Metropolis. Kara couldn’t forgive Lena, but she couldn’t let Lena suffer either. Kara would hold what happened in the past against Lena, and would perhaps even come to regard Lena with suspicion after James’ prompting today, but Kara could not, even as she entered into a relationship with someone else, let Lena suffer without trying to help. 

Lena should have expected as much. Kara was a superhero after all. She had an entire persona built around helping anyone and everyone, whether they were deserving or not. What was her motto? “Hope, help, and compassion for all.” Apparently that applied to Luthors too. Still, Lena knew that Kara’s display today, and her feelings toward Lena, were more than just heroics. They were a reflection of respect for what they once had. That realization in particular made Lena want to launch herself off the bike and into the Hudson. It was too perfect a cocktail of warm pleasure and searing pain to know that Kara was still perfect Kara, that she would keep her promise to protect Lena, always, but that Lena had thrown away any chance of deserving it. 

\---

Lena and Alex made it back to the house well before the others, as expected. Lena took to putting aloe vera on her face because, despite just being an excuse to get her on the bike, Alex hadn’t been lying about the severe sunburn gracing her cheeks and forehead. Lena was lost in thought when she realized that she hadn’t thanked Alex for the ride home. As she opened her mouth to speak, she registered that Alex had been speaking to her; was continuing to speak to her. 

“Seems like Kara is dead set on getting with one of the guys in this house.” Alex said, “but I guess we don’t know which one she’ll end up with yet. It’s weird; she’s never been one to have trouble deciding something like this. I guess it’s been so long since her last serious relationship that it’s kind of hard to tell though. I don’t know, it’s just kind of out of character for her, ya know? I think it’s just because she’s on vacation in a new city and has this idea that she wants to find someone and settle down all of a sudden. You know, Lena, us Danvers sisters are suckers for jumping into commitment, we basically invented the "UHaul" trope. Did I ever tell you about my ex-fiancee, Maggie?”

Lena was at a loss for words, but managed to spit out a, “no, I don’t believe you have.”

“Well, I probably shouldn’t dwell on it, but she was a cop. We were so in love with the parts of each other that focused on doing the right thing and protecting the people and the community we love, that we didn’t even realize until half-way through planning a wedding that the futures we envisioned for ourselves were on two completely different tracks. I loved her so much, but she and I just weren’t meant to be. It took me a long time to realize that we fell in love with the idea of one another and what our lives could be in our own heads, without ever stopping to fall in love with who we actually were and do the work to build a future together. I just hope that Kara doesn’t do the same thing you know? Fall for someone that shares her ideals, but isn’t a good fit to build a life with. She’s so idealistic that one. I just don’t want to see her get her heart trampled again.”

Lena didn’t know what to say, but was saved by the rest of the horde storming the castle, having finally caught the PATH back to Hoboken and walked up from the station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're here for the angst, I hope this chapter came through for you. Tomorrow's chapter introduces a new love interest for Lena. Two words: Director Lane. For more Supercorp content, check out my [ Tumblr ](https://bluespruce25.tumblr.com/) page.


	11. American Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected trip to the shore creates new friendships and solidfies others.

Soon, it was almost time for Lena to leave with Rhea. Their secretaries had arranged the whole thing. Lena would have thought the move to National City would put her at greater risk of running into Kara, but with Kara in Metropolis, Lena was fairly sure going to the opposite coast would be somewhat of a reprieve. Honestly, Lena would be lying if she didn’t admit to looking forward to Rhea’s variety of engaging company. She loved her sister, but Siobhan’s single-minded self-absorption and Rhea’s brilliant mind for business were simply on different planes of existence. 

Lena was honestly more nervous about the prospect of Rhea somehow meeting Kara. Rhea’s the only one who knew about Lena’s ex-girlfriend and Rhea hadn’t looked on their relationship fondly. Frankly, Lena knew that being in a room with both of them could only spell trouble. Kara was reckless and proud and Rhea was cold and calculated, they would be at each other’s throats in minutes. Luckily, Lena could see no reason why these two separate parts of her life would be brought together after her family had done and paid so much to keep them separate. Lena was glad for the time she had spent getting to know Siobhan more as a sister and living among normal people her age for once. She had accomplished everything she had set out to do with the trip and had nothing more keeping her there. 

That’s what she thought, at least, until the whole plan was turned on its head. Kara arrived at the house one night around dinner time when, in a rare moment of timing, all of the housemates were present. She was positively vibrating with energy and excitement. Kara explained that her and Alex’s friend Lucy Lane had family in New Jersey and, specifically, a family beach house on the shore. Lucy was headed there with their married friends J’onn J’onzz and M’gann M’orzz. Not only was Kara looking forward to seeing her friends, but Lucy had extended the invitation to the whole house and everyone was welcome for a trip to the beach and a cookout at the house. It was only about an hour to their place in Belmar, so they’d be able to go there and come back as a sort of day trip. 

Everyone was over the moon at the idea of a trip to the beach, especially James. It turns out James loved the sun and the beach and wanted nothing more than to meet Kara’s friends. Siobhan and Lena, with their pale complexions, were a little more reticent at the idea, but the enthusiasm of the group eventually won out. 

They decided that, while they could have done it all in a day fairly easily, it would be better to stay the night at Lucy’s beach house so that everyone could drink and unwind without worrying about the drive back. Kara didn’t mention that, because of her kryptonian biology, she is immune to alcohol and could easily be the DD, and Lena didn’t dare raise the point. The whole group seemed to grow only more enthusiastic at the idea of spending almost two full days at the beach house. They all met at the house and took two cars, comfortably squeezing four in each with room for snacks and bags in the middle of the back seat. They could have all fit in a DEO van, Lena knew, but that would hardly have been comfortable with all the luggage. By the time they loaded everyone up and got on their way, it was already past noon. They got to the shore in the early afternoon and headed straight to the beach house to unload their bags.

When they arrived at the house, Lucy and J’onn came out to greet them, explaining that M’gann was taking an afternoon nap upstairs. After a round of introductions and hugs, the group went into the house to claim their beds and drop their bags. It was soon agreed that they needed groceries so, while the others stayed behind, Lena and Winn set out to the local grocery store, promising to cook dinner for everyone in exchange for their lovely accommodations. Once everything was inside and prepped, they decided to go for a bit of a stroll down the boardwalk. 

The boardwalk was busy, but not overly crowded. There were many families and people of all ages enjoying the beach. It was warm enough that many of them were in the water enjoying the refreshing waves. The water was calm that day, but there were a few small waves breaking gently near shore, enough for the kids to body surf them in fits of giggles. Every 100 yards or so there was yet another novelty food booth. Sometimes they were quaint cafes, other times they were hot dog or ice cream stands. Lena discovered something new called  _ Italian Ice _ which she found to be sickly sweet, but also delightful. It was clear that Belmar was a joyous, beautiful place. The entire purpose of the town being its proximity to the ocean and its ability to envelop its visitors in warm nostalgia. And, true, it was cliche, but only in the most satisfying way. That Saturday in Belmar, NJ was made in the image of the perfect American summer. 

The group from the Hoboken house, walking along the beachfront, eventually made their way a considerable distance down the boardwalk to an ice cream stand where they were to meet Lucy, J’onn, and M’gann for an afternoon treat. The others milled around the area while Kara stopped to call Lucy to tell her they’d arrived. Within a few minutes, Kara walked up from the parking lot with the three others in tow. Lena hadn’t taken the time to check them out before she’d run back out to get groceries with Winn earlier, but now in the sunlight she had the perfect view to inspect Kara and Alex’s new friends. Kara was filling everyone in on how they all knew each other while they stood in line for the ice cream stand. 

Lucy Lane was a Major in the United States Army before taking a liaison post with the Department of Defense. Lena knew this post was, in fact, the DEO where she was a director of one of their top secret facilities out west. Lucy had become fast friends with Kara during her Supergirl duties, but no one here knew that. At first, Lucy and Alex had butted heads, each of them wanted to exert dominance over the organization, but eventually they found a good rhythm and built trust in one another. Kara spoke mostly of Lucy through Alex, but Lena got the sense that Lucy and Supergirl were pretty good friends as well. Kara directed the conversation into Lucy’s personal life, a safer topic of conversation than work. Lucy was the daughter of General Samuel Lane and the sister of reporter Lois Lane from the Daily Planet. Lucy had graduated from West Point and went straight to Harvard where she earned a JD/MBA. She then immediately became a JAG officer and was working her way up the ranks when she met another JAG officer named Russell Rogers. When Russell proposed, they agreed that Lucy would transfer into a Pentagon position stateside to work on the more political matters, for which she had a natural disposition. Just after Lucy moved to Metropolis, Russell was killed abroad. He hadn’t even been on active duty. He was in Germany taking a train to the airport to come home to her when a group of terrorists tried to hijack the train armed with nothing but knives and malice. Russell and a French soldier took out the attackers, but Russell was fatally stabbed in the process. 

After Russell’s funeral, Lucy picked up and moved to an undisclosed, top secret military installation and hadn’t dated much since, though it had been almost two years. Kara had never seen a deeper love than what Lucy felt for Russell. She had never seen anyone be more devastated by a loss either. Lucy was, however, stoic. She was exactly the kind of person who hid her grief behind a quiet determination and used work as a means to forget. You would never know that underneath her tough, though petite, exterior, Lucy was full of heartbreak and rage. Her mother had left when she was a small girl, then her sister went to college not long after, being considerably older than Lucy. Lucy’s father was a tough military man and staunch disciplinarian, that is when he was present in her life at all. Lucy hid a lot of pain under that veneer of hers and, well, Lena could relate. All of this led to Lucy’s newly earned status of adopted daughter of J’onn and M’gann. J’onn was a father figure if there ever was one. While he was also a military man, and another under-the-radar DEO director from National City, J’onn was first and foremost a warm and loving man. He was clearly born to be a mentor and to care for those under his protection, which included Kara, Alex, and Lucy. He and M’gann were a fairly new item. They had only been together for a few years, but the love and understanding between them was evident. Long story short, everyone was smitten with Lucy Lane. She was smart, funny, beautiful, and easily fell in with their friend group. 

Lena couldn’t help but reflect as the others ambled down the boardwalk, “ _ She and I are more similar than anyone else here. We both know what it is to be at once abandoned by and obligated to a family of cruelty and a thirst for power. We both know what it is to fight against those powers with everything we have. We have both lost the people we love because of our careers and our families. I have to hope that she will find love again, because I want to be able to find love again as well. _ ” Lena walked slowly, towards the back of the group observing the scene before her. Alex and Lucy had their heads bent low in conversation. They were both short women, Alex with her signature red hair and Lucy with a shoulder-length bob of wavy brown hair. Lucy had a more olive complexion, but they were both built similarly; tiny power houses that could easily make a grown man cry with their pinky finger. All of that training clearly paid off as they were both in excellent shape, like long distance runners, but with a little more muscle to them. 

Just ahead of them were Kara and James. Kara was telling a story, gesticulating wildly with her arms as they both threw their heads back to laugh and she put a hand on his bicep to steady herself. It was intimate, but happy. Imra and Mon-El were in a similar state taking selfies with their backs to the water. Winn and Siobhan had wandered closer to the sand dunes and J’onn and M’gann had their arms intertwined, quietly conversing with one another slightly behind the group. J’onn was a tall man with dark skin and a warm smile. His hair was cut short to his head and he was incredibly fit, just like Alex and Lucy, but significantly bulkier. He looked like he gave good hugs but could also pick you up with one hand. M’gann was all soft lines and soft smiles. She was average height with warm skin and bright eyes. She looked like she enjoyed warm tea and cozy blankets, but also had some fire in that glint in her eye. Lena understood these conflicting impressions better when she discovered that M’gann owns and runs a bar in National City. “ _ Yeah, that fits. _ ” Lena thought to herself. 

As they walked back to the house, Lena couldn’t help but notice how the group gravitated towards Kara. Kara’s radiant smiles and bright eyes drawing them in like magnets. Lena was used to seeing Kara be well-loved, but to see her hair tousled by J’onn and her cheeks kissed affectionately by M’gann; to see her and Lucy get into a play-shoving match almost resulting in the demise of a small child unlucky enough to be in their proximity, it was something else entirely. Lena couldn’t help but think that, had she made different choices, these people would be her friends too. She could have basked in this love and brightness too. She could have had a chosen family like Kara does. The thoughts pervaded her mind and made themselves at home for the rest of their walk leaving her in a somewhat sour mood for the evening. 

Once the group got back to the beach house at the other end of the boardwalk, Lena took some time to inspect their lodgings while the others got ready for dinner. The house was large with many bedrooms. The floors were a light tile and the bedrooms had warm hardwood. The vaulted ceilings in the front room faced the beach and were flooded with light. Lena wondered to herself what a sunrise would look like from those windows facing East over the water. They were a tight squeeze with more than a few people on the lush couches dotting the main living floor and the finished basement down below. That said, everyone had something comfortable to sleep on. The house had a distinctly nautical vibe with lots of blue and grey tones. There were life preserver rings and anchors dotting the decor. It was cliche, but Lena found that she didn’t really mind it. She also noted souvenirs from adventures all over the world, no doubt a result of having such a long history of military service in the family. While Lena looked around, nursing a glass of wine, Mon-El and Imra made dinner for the group. It was unexpected, but apparently they were the only ones who could cook amongst the housemates. Lena could, of course, cook quite well, but didn’t want to impose. 

She wandered towards the back of the house where she found a hallway lined with book-filled shelves. Lena noted, after picking a few up and thumbing through them, that most had Lucy’s name written on the inside. There were novels, philosophy, poetry, ethics, the law, and in multiple languages too. Most notable in the collection was a whole shelf devoted to chess strategy and tactics, books that graced Lena’s shelves and home. Lucy’s copies had almost as many dog ears and wear marks as Lena’s. Lena looked around until her eyes lit upon a well used chessboard next to a window. The pieces were locked mid-game and Lena could tell the set was old and beloved by the way the sharp details of the ivory pieces had been worn smooth over years of frequent use. Lena’s appreciation for the small brunette grew with the realization that she was, perhaps, almost as much of a nerd as Lena. The group from the Hoboken house sat outside in the fading afternoon light. Mon-El and Imra finished dinner and Lucy, J’onn, and M’gann went to the hardware store to get supplies for their next big project. 

James the first to speak, waxing poetic about the house and the boardwalk. He was enthralled by Kara’s friends and their accomplishments. He loved the camaraderie and the dedication to service that they all had. He talked on and on about honor and sacrifice, mentioning more than once that his father was in the military. James was, frankly, enamored with the whole experience. 

By the time Imra called them all in for dinner, they were quite eager to eat. Lena found that she had been in Kara’s company enough recently to be quite hardened to the experience. After everything this summer, sitting down with her at dinner and exchanging the proper greeting and civilities, as if between friends, was nothing; no pain, no tears, nothing. 

After dinner, the group went back to sit out by the fire. Some were listening to James play the guitar while Kara quietly sang along, others were chatting with Alex and J’onn about their experiences in the government. Lena was left in the company of Lucy off to the side, close to the fire. Lucy was quiet, but had a gleam of interest in her eye. Lena attempted conversation, finding herself obliged to carry much of the load, but after a beer or two, Lucy started to open up and share. Lena was correct in thinking that Lucy was very well read, and, to Lena’s surprise, she was a champion chess player as well. Lucy confided that it was a relief to have someone with whom she could discuss the finer points of chess openings. J’onn and M’gann are both exceptionally bright. J’onn was himself a master strategist, but found chess to be restrictive and boring. Lucy’s eyes began to positively radiate her excitement as she delved into the signature moves of her favorite grandmasters. Lena was more than prepared for a little friendly debate and found that Lucy was able to push her understanding pleasantly. Lena hadn’t had a conversation this deep the entire time she’d been at the Hoboken house, and if she was honest with herself, for a few years before that. They discussed the Sicilian opening and the best middlegame strategies. Lena noted, with sadness, that Lucy was one of those players who considered chess to be metaphor for life, with real applications. She knew how dangerous this could be for someone like Lucy who appeared to be equal parts brains and heart. She cautionned Lucy against reading too far into the metaphor, lest the infinite permutations consume her. 

Lena continued the conversation with a more guarded approach, offering some recommendations which might've diversified Lucy’s library. Lucy was an attentive listener, having scooted closer to Lena on the stone bench they shared as the two were deep in discussion. At the end of their discussion, wrapped in blankets, Lucy sighed. “I don’t think there’s a strategy in the world that will help me understand how I could have done things differently to save Russell. I can play six moves ahead, but his death just blindsided me out of nowhere. The thing about chess is that it’s predictable. There are set moves in a predetermined environment with known constraints and a defined hierarchy. I think you’re right though, it’s not about the rote predictability, it’s about being the person who finds the new permutation, who creates a new path, who shapes the game. It’s about making progress despite the appearance that there is no further progress to be made.”

When they all got ready for bed and Lena was busy brushing her teeth, she couldn’t help but reflect on the night with warm feelings. The irony of her coming to the Jersey Shore to dispense philosophical chess advice to a heartbroken federal agent for a top secret organization did not escape her. Unfortunately, neither did her hypocrisy in the recommendations and judgements she had given Lucy. It is one thing to help a friend find hope after a lost love, it is another entirely to do it oneself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This chapter sets up a few potential storylines for the rest of the fic. Tune in tomorrow to see things go completely haywire. In the meantime, check out my [Tumblr ](https://bluespruce25.tumblr.com/) for additional Supercorp content.


	12. Recklessness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew spends some quality time together on the shore until the moment chaos breaks out. Lena has a new admirer.

Lena and Mon-El, finding themselves awake long before the others, sat on the adirondack chairs outside while they drank their coffee. They didn’t talk much at first, just mentioning the nice weather and warm sand. Mon-El suddenly cut into Lena’s calm solitude, “Ya know, I really hope everything works out with Imra and I. Being here the last few days has made me realize how much I can see us getting a little place of our own on the shore, or coming out here to get away sometimes during the summer. I love the idea of laying in the sand and having cook-outs and maybe even learning to sail. Do you think there’s anywhere to learn around here? I bet there is. I just love the feeling of being here. It’s like pure happiness, like Disneyland but for grown ups.”

Lena smiled more than once to herself during this unexpected speech, but encouraged him nonetheless, offering her own positive thoughts. “I think that would be wonderful, Mon-El. Imra seems to love it here as well. I’m really glad to see you so happy together. I've gotta say, you’ve grown a lot the last few years. I’m almost even a little proud of you.” Mon-El looked up at her with a genuine smile at the teasing and kicked a little sand over her bare feet. 

“I wish I could share this with my mom sometimes, ya know? I love Rhea, but I don’t want her anywhere near my relationship with Imra. Imra is perfect, a goddess really, and I definitely don’t deserve her, but I can’t ever let my mom get to know the woman I love because she would just make it her mission to destroy our happiness. I know you love my mom, but she’s a lot different with you than she is with me. I imagine you must know how I feel, what with Lillian and all.”

Lena understood exactly what he meant and, while he was right that Rhea had only ever been kind to Lena, she had long since understood that Rhea wasn’t the hero she seemed to be for most of Lena’s life. Lena opened her mouth to agree, but didn’t have time to elaborate more before Kara and James came bumbling out of the sliding glass doors and into the little sitting area. The four of them sat chatting for a few minutes until James remembered that he wanted to walk over to a little photography shop he had seen on the way in the day before. As they walked into the shop, a woman was leaving and held the door for them, turning sideways to give them room as they passed through. As they crossed paths, Lena’s face caught the woman’s eyes and she realized that was none other than Mercy Graves. Mercy, for her part, was wearing a look of frank admiration and dark intrigue. Lena didn’t fail to notice the way Mercy’s eyes trailed up and down her body, taking in shorts-clad legs and her teal colored tank top. Lena, who was always quite beautiful, was looking particularly gorgeous that morning with the simple banality of it all. Her hair was down and wavy. She hadn’t paid much attention to it that morning other than to run a brush through it. It was a long way from her lab coats and pencil skirts, her severe up-dos and red bottom stilettos. She still had lipstick on, she wouldn’t be seen in public without it, but it wasn’t her signature ruby lip, instead it was a more neutral pink. Overall, the effect was soft and welcoming, more warmth than sharp lines. Without being lewd, Mercy made it clear from her gaze and facial expressions the extent to which she appreciated this change in Lena. Kara turned back to see why the door was still open and her eyes landed on the scene as well. Was that a flicker of jealousy? Before Lena could register it, Mercy had moved away and closed the door and Kara had graced her with the biggest grin, as if to say, “ _ There she is, there’s the Lena I remember.” _

After James wrapped up his work at the photography shop, they met the others for brunch at one of the boardwalk cafes. As they were eating, Lena noticed that Mercy Graves was at the same restaurant, a few tables away. Mercy had clearly seen Lena come in and was appraising her once more with unabashed interest. Neither of them made any move to speak to the other, but Lena couldn’t help but blush at the obvious attention and attraction between them. Lex had been wrong about so many things, what if he was wrong about Mercy too? An enemy of my enemy, after all. Mercy was objectively attractive. She had a slight, toned frame and picture perfect light brown hair. Her makeup was flawless, even in this seaside town. She was dressed less formally than in the office, but her clothes were clearly high-end and tailored. In any case, Lena found her curiosity sufficiently piqued. 

Once the group had finished eating and were just chatting languidly as they waited for the check, Mercy got up to leave. Winn was the first to spot her saying in a stage whisper to Siobhan, “Who the heck is that?” Siobhan smacked him on the arm, but the table turned to look with neither shame nor subtlety. Luckily, Mercy couldn’t see them gawking as her back was turned walking to the door. When she turned her body sideways to open the door and walk through, Kara’s eyes darted at Lena and she said, “Hey! Isn’t that the lady from the photoshop earlier?” James and Mon-El both concurred and they watched through the large window as she was helped into her waiting towncar by what appeared to be her driver and drove off into town. The waiter came over shortly after with their bill.

“Excuse me.” Kara said to the waiter, “Do you know who that woman is who just left?”

“Oh Mercy Graves? Yeah, of course. She’s a big shot executive over at LuthorCorp. She’s just here packing up her beach house before the big move to National City.”

“LuthorCorp!” The exclamation repeated all across the table before the waiter had finished speaking. Everyone turned to look at Lena who took a sip of her water and shrugged. “Yes, sorry I didn’t realize you didn’t know who she was, or I could have told you. Mercy is our CFO.”

Siobhan cut in, “Isn’t she the one that has the huge issues with Lex? I mean damn I didn’t realize she was so hot, it kinda makes sense now. Did she say anything, Lena? It’s odd that she wouldn’t say anything if she recognized you. I mean she could at least be nice, your company is responsible for her entire career after all.”

Lena blushed at this, “No, Mercy is a very smart woman, LuthorCorp is lucky to have her. We didn’t get the chance to say hello, we only met in passing this morning and by the time we recognized one another, the moment was over.”

“Well,” said Kara, “it’s interesting that the two of you ran into each other this many times in such random places. One heck of a coincidence.”

It took a while to get Siobhan’s attention before Lena could remind her quietly that the Luthors and Mercy Graves had been on difficult terms for many years and were not exactly friendly with one another beyond the necessary show for public relations. Lena had absolutely no desire, nor did she think it was a very good idea, to start messing with that very tenuous arrangement. That being said, Lena would be lying to say that she wasn’t interested in learning more about Mercy Graves as soon as she was settled in National City. 

“You should text Lex and tell him that you two ran into each other.” Siobhan said, ignoring everything Lena had just told her. Lena made a noncommittal movement with her shoulders and mentally noted that the last thing she wanted was for Lex to find out about this little interaction of theirs. Besides, it wasn't like they had even spoken to each other. 

As they went out onto the boardwalk, they decided to walk along the same stretch as last night before they headed home. They planned to leave by 3 pm to make sure they got back in good time before the end-of-weekend traffic and they wanted to spend as much time out by the water as possible.

As they walked, Lena noticed Lucy dropping back to chat with her. Obviously their chat the night before hadn’t scared Lucy away at all. On the contrary, it seemed that Lucy had used the morning to reflect and refine her arguments as to why the Queen’s gambit is more compelling than anything else Lena had to offer. Lena chuckled, amused at Lucy’s persistence and desire to continue hashing it out. The two couldn’t agree to save their lives, but there was good fun in the discussion of it. They chatted aimlessly for a while until a trip to the saltwater taffy stand mixed up their pairs. Lena found herself with J’onn J'onzz at her side. 

“Ms. Luthor,” he said in a low voice, “I haven’t seen Lucy Lane this talkative in the whole time I’ve known her. I know she needs more friends her own age, but what can you do when she’s advanced further then most people do their whole careers before age 30?”

“Trust me,” Lena replied, “I understand that brand of loneliness better than most. I do think, though, that she’ll find good friends and maybe even love again someday. It’s only been two years, after all. Everyone grieves in their own time.”

“You make a good point.” J’onn acknowledged. “You know she didn’t even find out right away? Russell didn’t have any next of kin so no one was notified. Because they were engaged, but not married, she didn’t have any legal right to know and he never put her on any forms because they had to be so secretive about their relationship while they were still in JAG together. News reached us at the DEO-,” Lena balked at him, her eyebrows in her hairline and her mouth wide open, “don’t worry, Ms. Luthor, I know that you already know all about the DEO, and about a certain high-flying hero.” J’onn said, gesturing to Kara. “She had to give us a list of everyone who knows when she started working with us, and I also know that you’re the one who has been building most of our weapons to help combat aliens.” In a hushed tone he added, “and I also know that the Lexosuit hasn’t made very much progress since you came onto the project. Curious, that the best engineer in the country, maybe even the world, can’t quite solve the riddle of a mechanized war suit.” Lena continued to stare in disbelief. J’onn just took it in stride, “anyway, as I was saying. When word reached the DEO, Alex and Lucy were out on a high security mission and I was in command of the department from the National City base. I had to send Kara to pull Lucy out of the field and bring her home. Kara told her the news and stayed with her while she grieved. Lucy had left all of her friends behind from JAG and, after Russell passed, we became her friends and, eventually, her family. Kara is the only reason Lucy held it together as much as she did. Of all the amazing things she can do, her ability to love has to be the greatest.”

Lena had nothing to say to that. She felt heartened and also ashamed of her own weakness, she grieved her loss of a future with Kara, but was proud of the woman the superhero had become. Lena said something small in acknowledgement and J’onn, caught up in his own feelings, neglected to say more on the subject, moving on to more mundane topics. 

Once the saltwater taffy had been procured, J’onn and M’gann hopped in their car and drove it back to the house, not wanting to have to walk all the way back to fetch it later. The rest of them decided to continue their walk along the boardwalk. The seas were less calm than the day before. Few people swam, preferring instead to sit on the beach under large umbrellas. The waves were dark and choppy, contrasting with the bright white where they broke and rolled quite a ways from shore. 

Lucy and Lena continued their discussion of chess, settling on an in depth analysis of the relative importance of bishops and rooks. Lena’s attention was captive, rummaging through her immense internal archive to select the choicest matches to illustrate her point. Her attention was soon drawn away, however, by the sudden shouts coming from the taffy shop followed by the sound of a gunshot. 

Lena watched as two men came barreling out of the shop and turned to sprint away from their group. Just as she registered the semi-automatic weapons slung over their shoulders, she looked to see James already running after them. Kara was looking around wildly for a place to change. Kara could have stopped him if she wanted to, Lena and James both knew that, but they also knew that she wouldn’t. Kara didn’t like to use her powers to force people to do things and couldn’t do anything until she changed into her supersuit. As James rounded the corner around some buildings, Kara disappeared in a blur and Supergirl reappeared above them moments later, just as more shots rang out in quick succession. Lena, Lucy, and Alex started off on foot in that direction with Lucy and Lena substantially closer given their position. Winn grabbed Siobhan and took cover behind a pickle barrel while Imra and Mon-El were suddenly nowhere to be found.

Lena turned to Lucy, “call 911 now and tell them that we have shots fired on the boardwalk.” As they rounded the corner, they found two men in black laying on the ground unmoving, two military-style weapons bent into unrecognizable shapes and a sobbing Kara holding James close to her as his blood darkened the bright blue of her suit. Lena ran over to them and started checking James for wounds to better understand where and how many times he had been hit. She was struggling to see much with Kara holding on to him with an iron grip that Lena couldn’t shake. Finally, Lena heard Alex talking calmly to Kara who just kept repeating, “he’s not breathing, Alex. Oh my god, he’s not breathing. Lena, do something! What do we do?! Alex!” Lena reached over and took his pulse, it was still there but losing steam. She felt his chest, no movement. She leaned her face over his to feel for respirations, but there were none. So he still had a pulse, but wasn’t breathing. Lena immediately started rescue breaths. As she bent down to administer the rescue breaths, her eyes met Alex’s and she nodded. Alex bent down and started putting her medical degree to the test, identifying wounds and applying as much pressure as she could. She grabbed the new sarong she had just bought out of its shopping bag and tasked Kara with ripping it into bandages. While Kara was occupied, Lena watched as Alex cut apart the plastic shopping bag into a four by four square. Seeing what she was up to, Lena pulled a roll of athletic tape out of the lifeguard’s first aid kit that had suddenly appeared along with Imra and Mon-El. She watched as Alex created a makeshift valve to try to treat the tension pneumothorax, known as a sucking chest wound. Alex went on to apply tourniquets to his right arm and leg where two more bullets had found themselves. He had a graze on his right should that she bandaged up and another that appeared to have lodged in his pelvis. Lucy came over, phone in hand, “They are sending someone, but there is only one ambulance available. It will be 15 minutes until the next one arrives from the next town over.”

“Supergirl-” Lena looked at Kara’s crying face. “Supergirl!” That seemed to register as Kara turned to face Lena, looking small despite her superhero uniform. “You need to fly him to the hospital so he can be treated, can you do that?” Supergirl nodded and put her hands on her hips. Lucy piped in, “Supergirl, why don’t we take him to the secure facility in Metropolis. With you flying it won’t take much longer and we can see to his care personally. We have the best in the country, Alex among them.” Kara’s face tightened as she scooped him up and was off before they could say any more. 

Lena turned to the rest of them to find Mon-El and Imra in what can only be described as superhero suits. Alex was busy restraining the assailants who had started to stir. Siobhan was in near hysterics while Winn held her tight, a solemn expression on his face. Lena blinked slowly as the reality of the scene finally dawned on her, “Mon-El? Imra? Is there a comic book convention today of which I am unaware?” She said it softly, assuming that they could hear her but those gathered around wouldn’t. Lucy was the first to speak, “Mon-El, Saturn Girl, you’ll take Director Danvers and Agent Schott to the Metropolis base and we will meet you there by car in about an hour and a half.” Lucy turned to Lena and quietly added, “I’ll explain what I can in the car, but I know you know more than you’re letting on already.” Lena shut her mouth with a click and clenched her jaw. She gave one sharp nod and stepped back as Mon-El and Imra grabbed Alex and Winn respectively before taking off into the air in the direction of the city. 

On their way back to the house, Siobhan was all over Lena, crying and weeping dramatically. J’onn and M’gann soon found them on the boardwalk and ushered them into their waiting car. They had heard the gunshots and had gotten worried. Lena was in shock, but couldn’t help the sense of irony seeping in as just a few hundred yards down the beach no one even knew the events that had just transpired, assuming that the loud pops they had heard were from innocent firecrackers rather than potentially fatal gunshots. There were just families having fun, playing in the sand and enjoying a game of beach volleyball, as if there hadn’t just been a robbery, a shooting, and the surprise appearance of not one, but three superheroes. 

By the time they reached the house, the situation had been fully explained by Lucy, and Siobhan had stopped sobbing. Lena was numb and still in the back seat. She organized the troops and they packed up everyone’s belongings before loading the cars. Lena had forgotten that there were two cars but only three of them. Resigned with a sigh, Lena offered to drive herself and Siobhan while Lucy took the other car. Lena was annoyed because, logically, taking two cars prevented her from grilling Lucy on the way back into the city, but maybe, she conceded, that was preferable with Siobhan in the mix. 

They reached Metropolis in record time. Lena suspects that Lucy may have called in some favors with the locals. Lucy had gone first with Lena following behind and speed limits appeared to be of no consideration as they easily broke 90 mph on the freeway. They slowed once the traffic made the pace untenable, but still they found themselves in the parking garage of Luthor Tower within the promised hour and a half, despite the time it took to pack at the house. 

Alex was in with James, the superheroes had changed back into their street clothes and were standing by his bedside. As Lena walked in, Alex was mid-update, “-conciousness, but we will need him to stay asleep for a few days at least while his body recovers from the stress. We’ve removed the bullets and repaired the damage, as well as put him on a heavy dose of antibiotics. He will need to stay here for a week or two at least to recover and to undergo additional surgeries to complete the orthopedic repairs. But, we expect him to recover with time.” Everyone let out a deep breath. There were more than a few tears of relief and hugs exchanged among the family unit gathered there. 

Lena would never forget the look on Kara’s face as she broke down, her eyes overflowing with tears, her lips set together in a firm line, her signature forehead crinkle in place. Kara buried her face in her hands and let out a loud, relieved, “Thank God!” Kara slumped into a chair next to the bed and just held her face for a few minutes, regaining her composure and piecing herself back together again. 

James would be fine, he just needed time to heal and observation while the antibiotics worked to prevent infection until his next surgery. 

At this point, Lena looked around and realized that there was a lot of explaining to be done. They were now standing in a converted med bay at the DEO which wasn’t even supposed to exist. Mon-El and Imra were superheroes who could fly, Winn was a secret agent, and Siobhan was now in the middle of all of it.  _ “Oh god, Siobhan.”  _ Lena thought. 

They determined that James was to stay at the DEO, rather than be taken to a civilian hospital to keep him stable. Alex and Lucy both spoke up to say that it would not be an issue at all, they had taken care of all of the arrangements already while the others were still panicking. 

A little while later, J’onn and M’gann arrived, landing on the balcony of the building in their forms as Green Martians before transitioning back to their human faces. Lena would have been shocked if she weren’t already numb. Alex, Winn, Imra, and Mon-El would stay at the DEO with James. Alex was a medical doctor after all, James would be fine in her care. The others wanted to be there to support him and to debrief what had happened at the beach. 

Lena let her eyes wander for a bit, only to have them fall on the trio of faces just outside the door bent low in quiet but heated discussion. J’onn, Winn, and Kara were clearly disagreeing about something and, when they looked straight at her, Lena realized it was about her. After a little while, Kara came back inside. 

“Lena and Siobhan need to go back to the house to unpack everything and get settled in for when the others return. I need to go to get the contact information for James’ sister Kelly so I can let her know what’s going on. We’ll head out in about 15 minutes, if that’s okay. Lena, can I speak with you for a moment please?” Kara said all in one go. Lena stepped out in the hallway, apprehensive about what would come next.

Kara’s whole face softened as she reached out to put a hand on Lena’s crossed arms, “I can’t thank you enough for everything you did today to help James. God, I was so stupid.” Kara bowed her head shaking away the tears threatening to gather in her eyes. “I am going to take you both back, but there’s something I need to tell you and you’re not going to like it.” Lena quirked an eyebrow in permission so Kara continued, “We have to wipe Siobhan’s mind first. She can’t know about the DEO. I’m so sorry, all of this is my fault. I hate that we have to do this, but there’s no other way around it, she’s seen and heard too much. It isn’t safe for her to know this much out there. We have so many enemies. We should never have brought her here in the first place.”

Lena stopped her by laying a hand on top of the one resting on her arms. “Kara it’s fine, I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand that she will be safer this way, don’t worry. I trust you. So how does this work? Are you going to go all Men-In-Black on us or something?” Kara just looked at her slack jawed. She had been expecting neither easy acquiescence nor a pop-culture reference from Lena. “Okay, first of all I can’t believe you’ve seen a movie that wasn’t narrated by David Attanborough and second, it’s just Siobhan. We decided that it was an unnecessary risk to wipe your mind as well.” Lena’s eyebrows rose in surprise at the second point, “Oh? May I ask why?” Kara shrugged, suddenly self-conscious, “Well you already know about me and, ya know, * _ Supergirl* _ ,” Kara whispered the last word, “and you already know about the DEO and frankly if your brain isn’t already insured for several millions of dollars, it should be because your mind is not something anyone should be tinkering with, it is too special, too important.” Lena was truly speechless after this outburst so she chose to focus on Siobhan instead, hoping to combat the blush rising on her cheeks. 

“So how does it work then?” Lena asked again. This time Kara was prepared for an answer, “J’onn and M’gann are martians with psychic powers. They can read and manipulate minds. For the record, this is something that is almost never done. We do not just do this to anyone or use it indiscriminately. J’onn considers it to be a terrible invasion of privacy and only uses this power when it is necessary for our protection and survival. Unfortunately, this is one of those situations. Siobhan will be asleep for a while after it happens so we’ll take her back and put her in bed. J’onn will place substitute memories in her mind so she’ll remember James getting shot, but not the details and she’ll remember a hospital instead of the DEO. We are only making minor changes, I promise.”

Lena looked at the blonde carefully, pondering the deep blue eyes for a moment. “I understand. Do what you need to do.” Kara’s eyes betrayed a flicker of surprise before warming up in understanding and gratitude. “Okay, we’ll get started. The whole process will take about thirty minutes, then we’ll leave straight away.” “Okay.” And with that, Kara strode away to go get J’onn. 

Lena wondered now if it had occurred to Kara that maybe being a savior, hero type with a God complex didn’t work as well for humans; that maybe James had been a little too trusting of the fact that Supergirl would save him. Lena wondered if maybe Kara had come around to understand the value of thinking through a situation before acting, of having a plan and considering all of the available information before jumping in rashly. Lena imagined that it could hardly have escaped Kara’s attention that James’s actions were not only foolish and dangerous, but had actually put Kara’s identity and their whole friend group in more danger because Supergirl had no way of reacting in public without creating a stir. Supergirl could’ve disarmed the gunmen safely in fifteen seconds and been done with it, but instead the shooters let a rain of bullets loose near innocent bystanders and James had almost died. Surely, Kara could see that there’s such a thing as too much trust. 

While Kara took Siobhan to an interrogation room down the hall, Alex kicked the visitors out so James could rest. Lucy showed them all to a glass paneled room just off the main corridor that had a long oval glass table and about twenty five simple black leather and chrome chairs around it. The group filtered in and took seats at random down the length of the table. Lena was planning on maintaining her silence, happy to observe and reflect on her own, but Mon-El wouldn’t stop looking at her with big puppy dog eyes. Lena rolled her eyes and leaned into the table, resting her elbows on top. “Okay, Mon-El, I can tell it’s killing you so spill. Who are you really, how can you fly, and what’s your deal?” His eyes opened at the frank confrontation, but he cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. 

“My name really is Mon-El. I am the prince of Daxam. Rhea is the queen of our people and it is my belief that she murdered my father, Lar Gand, in order to take over the throne. Here on Earth, she is known just as Rhea and has risen to power through her connections to the business world, primarily through her role as advisor to the Luthor family. Daxam was a sister planet to Krypton, though our people were enemies. Truth be told, Daxam celebrated every vice and moral corruption that Krypton worked to banish. Where Krypton was advanced and kind, Daxam was backwards and treacherous. I am ashamed to say that my people participated in slavery and lust and hedonism; we prided ourselves on our indulgences and our love of life, but treated others abhorantly. I was a part of this for a long time. The truth is, Imra found out about my identity and my past. She’s the one who taught me to use my abilities for good. I don’t actually have the ability to fly, just to be clear, Imra and I are members of an organization called The Legion. Our membership comes with some pretty sick perks, including this guy.” 

Mon-El thrusted out his hand to showcase a gold ring embossed with the letter L and what appeared to be a shooting star. Lena noted having seen a matching ring on Imra’s hand. Then it hit her. She had also seen one hanging from a chain around Winn’s neck. She turned to him.

“Winslow Schott. You have been lying to my sister this whole time?! Do you even work in IT? Are you even human?”

Winn cowered in his chair and brought his hands up in a defensive position.

“Woah, woah. Okay, yes. First of all, I am human. And everything about my dad and the whole serial killer thing, that’s all real.” 

“I’m sorry, did you just say  _ serial killer?! _ ” Lena exclaimed. 

“Okay, so I guess you didn’t know about that,  _ buuuuuut  _ I am human and I do love your sister, and, technically, I do work in IT. It just so happens that I work in IT for the DEO where I am their pre-eminent hacking aficionado.” Winn punctuated the end with some rhythmic taps on the table in front of him and a couple of finger guns for good measure. 

“Okay, but you’ve been in Metropolis for years and the DEO didn’t have an active base here until a month ago.”

“Okay, yeah so this is going to sound bad, but I am kinda, sorta working undercover in the IT department of Rhea’s company to scope out their dealings with LuthorCorp. Also, I don’t fly. Air sickness, ya know?”

“So the annoying guy who couldn’t figure out his password?” “- was J’onn. Yeah, maybe don’t mention that around him. He’s kinda touchy about the whole Earth tech thing.” Lena just buried her head in her hands. Everything she knew was at least a little bit a lie, but also just enough of the truth to make her question everything. 

Lena looked up, glancing around the room. Her eyes fell on Imra who looked demure but strong. “So Imra, your turn. Do you really work for the UN?” Imra clasped her hands in front of her and leaned forward. “I do. The tricky bit is that I am not actually  _ British _ royalty. I am Titanian royalty, from…”, “Jupitor’s moon Titan, yeah got it.” Lena cut in brusquely. “And you are also a member of The Legion?” “Yes. I am. I found Mon-El lifting the couch with one hand while vacuuming one day and enlisted his help with the organization. You could say that I helped him transition from frat star to hero. Also, you should know that Rhea and my family have entered Mon-El and I into an arranged marriage. That is how we started dating.”

Lena could tell from the looks around the room, including Winn’s jaw dropping nearly to his chest, that this was news for more than just her. She remained silent in a bid for Imra to continue.

“That’s why you may have noticed Mon-El’s...less than chivalrous behavior towards me this summer.” At this Mon-El stepped in, “I was having a hard time with the...arrangement...and was using Imra’s absence as a chance to let loose a little before that part of my life was closed forever. I didn’t mean to take things that far with Kara. I underestimated how much it would mean to me to have someone from our star system around, to really be around someone who gets it. Plus she basically radiates charm, so it’s kinda hard to avoid wanting to be around her.” Lena saw some faint nods of agreement and stifled a smirk.

“Anyway,” Imra cut back in, “that day you all came to my office, Mon-El and I discussed what we want and what the future could hold for both of us and we decided to give this a chance. The truth is, we did develop feelings for one another over the course of this arrangement and, even with Kara’s...influence...on the situation, we wanted to be together.”

“Losing Imra, even for a few days, made me realize what I really wanted and helped me focus more on love, respect, and trust instead of feeling insecure and sorry for myself.”

“Also, James is Guardian.” Winn piped up from his chair. 

Lena found herself drawing a hand across her tired face trying to wipe the day’s stress off of her features. 

“Okay, so to summarize. Kara is Supergirl. Alex, J’onn, and Lucy are DEO Directors. Winn is the DEO’s corporate spy and cybergeek. James is a vigilante with a death wish and a God complex, and Mon-El and Imra are part of a big bad hero club with fancy jewelry and a tragic backstory. Does that about do it?”

The whole room looked at Lena, paused, and then burst out laughing. Before long, Winn was wiping tears from his eyes and Imra and Mon-El were practically holding each other up. It was Lucy who finally spoke up, “I think you’ve got our number, Luthor.” And for the first time, Lena didn’t recoil at her last name. For the first time, it was being said to her with warm affection and not disdain. Lena wondered if she could get used to hearing it that way. Lena had grown fond of Lucy over the course of their conversations at the shore.

“So, how can I help?”

While the Superfriends were swapping war stories and suit design tips, Lena was pulled aside by Director Lane. Lena took the opportunity to appreciate the Director’s  _ personality _ a little bit more. 

“Lena, you mentioned to Alex that you know my father, General Lane?” 

“Yes, just as business associates really.” 

“Okay, well there are two things you should know. First, he doesn’t know Supergirl’s secret identity and he must not ever learn it. Second, he and I are nothing alike. You of all people can understand trying to make a name for oneself outside the shadow of family.”

Lena quirked her eyebrow at that. Lucy had her pegged, that was for sure. “Of course I can understand that. If you don’t mind my asking, if you are so different, then why did you follow his career path?” Lucy smirked at Lena, having met her match. “It would  _ appear _ that way, certainly, but my father worked his way up the ranks after enlisting right out of high school. He’s been deployed more times than I can count and did the whole career ladder business. He is, in short, a man forged in war. I, on the other hand, graduated top of my class at West Point, received my JD/MBA from Harvard Law and went on to become a JAG prosecutor.” Lena smiled at this, having heard these details already, but appreciating the way Lucy owned them with confidence. “I had aspirations of justice and did my best to fit them into the framework I understood. In fact, the only reason I took over a position within the DEO after Russell proposed was to prevent my father from putting one of his lackies in it. I did it to protect Kara and Alex who have been kind to me over the years.”

“Because of your relationship with Lois? Why not journalism then?”

Lucy just blinked at Lena’s attempt to throw her off, her lips tilting slowly into a smirk. “You’re sharp, Luthor. I’ll give you that. Lois left for college clear across the country when I was in high school. She never really made it home for holidays and my father wasn’t around enough to miss her. I was though. I felt betrayed by her and the life she had built with Clark. So I leaned into the family legacy on my dad’s side instead. The truth is, for a lot of the time it was just the two of us, he and I. I wanted his approval, even though I knew pretty young that he wasn’t the national hero I had grown up thinking he was.”

By the end, Lucy was leaning heavily on her elbows on the round table in the control room. Lena reached out and placed her left hand on top of Lucy’s clasped hands. “I think you and I might have more in common than I realized.” Lucy turned to look at Lena, the white fluorescent lights skimming the surface of Lucy’s skin and illuminating her expressive green eyes. Lena felt her heart flutter at her proximity to the objectively attractive woman when, not a moment later, Supergirl was suddenly standing between them leaving papers fluttering across the room and agents scrambling to keep them organized. “The procedure is complete, Siobhan is ready to be taken home and we should really get going so that she is fully settled before she wakes up.” Lena exchanged one more look with Lucy before nodding to the rest of the room and taking her leave. 

Lena drove them back to the house. They passed most of the time in silence, but eventually Kara spoke up, “I’ve been thinking about what to do about Siobhan. I think we should just tell her that she fainted at the hospital and that we brought her back here to recover. I think you should be the one to tell her. I will, hopefully, be back at the DEO before she comes around. Does that work?” Lena just nodded and they continued again in silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but they both had a lot on their minds. Once they arrived, Kara carried Siobhan inside and put her on the couch. Then Kara unloaded the luggage as quickly as possible without blowing her cover and grabbed James’s emergency contact information for Kelly off of the desk in his room. Once that was all done, she changed into her supersuit and took to the sky, headed back to the DEO.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucy, Mercy, Kara -- Lena's got some options. I hate to do this to James, but he had to get hurt and it had to be his own fault. This seemed like the most on-brand scenario. Tomorrow we wrap up the Hoboken portion of the story as Lena heads to National City with Rhea. In the meantime, check out my [Tumblr ](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bluespruce25) for more Supercorp content.


	13. Closure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena processes the trauma of the incident at the beach and flies out to National City with Rhea who is not the person Lena thought she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm late with this one all, it's been a heck of a day at my day job.

Lena looked up to see Mon-El come in the front door from where she was sitting on the couch. She still found the sight of him in his red superhero suit a bit unsettling. She had known him for her entire life, just about, but had never even guessed at the truth. The implications of it, for him, for Rhea. And how could Rhea be working with her anti-alien family if she herself was an alien? It didn’t make any sense. Biting the bullet, Lena called out from behind the back of the couch, “So, Daxam huh?”

Mon-El dropped his head and smirked “You caught me.” He turned to face her then, still carrying a duffle bag in his right hand. He turned back to close the door quickly, “I assume you have questions?” Lena smiled at this, “I do in fact. Starting with 'what really happened with your mother' and ending with 'does anyone in my family know'?”

Mon-El turned back to take off his knee-high boots and set his bag down. It was weird seeing a barefoot superhero in some illusion of domesticity. When he faced Lena again, he had raised his eyebrows. He took a deep breath to steady himself before answering. “My mother is not who you think she is, Lena. However smart you think she is, however devious, you don’t know the half of it. She runs an incredibly successful business and ruled an entire planet. She is calculating and cruel. I couldn’t stand it any longer. The last straw was this latest project with your mother. They’ve been working on it for years now. They’re trying to develop a virus that will kill all aliens on Earth in one go. She tried to get me to help her, and when I said no, she cut me off, calling me ungrateful. That’s when I reached out to you. Your family does not know, somehow. Rhea has ingratiated herself so well with Lillian that I’m sure your family would never even think to suspect her. It’s genius; truly, deadly genius. It’s almost like it was fated, you know. I came to you and that path led me to Imra and to The Legion. I’ve been working with the DEO to try to stop Cadmus and bring the whole thing down, but I don’t know how we'll do it.”

Lena had grown increasingly solemn during Mon-El’s answers. She didn’t respond again immediately. Her mind was flipping quickly through all of the questions and plots and plans circling her mind. He came back from a quick trip to the kitchen with two beers in hand. “Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve helped.” Mon-El was standing behind the couch. He leaned his elbows on the back of it and stepped back, bowing his upper body parallel with the floor and sighed deeply, wincing slightly. He turned and stood to meet her gaze. “To be honest, I couldn’t trust you. I had no way of knowing if you were just like them. You are the head of R&D. You’ve been working on the ‘Lexosuit’ for years. You’ve never said anything against Lex or Lillian, even as their _sentiments_ became more well known. You always seemed more...human...than the rest of them. You’ve always been so kind, but when you came back from that summer in National City you were changed. You became harder, somehow, more focused on the business and the family image. I couldn’t know what was in your heart. Obviously, letting you into the fold is a huge leap, but Kara vouched for you, of all people. She was right though, we do need you. So, like it or not, we have to trust you now.”

Lena’s eyes were full of tears on the precipice of falling. Her forehead was scrunched up in concern. She hadn’t realized the image she had projected at LuthorCorp. It hurt her to think that anyone could ever imagine that she wanted to murder all aliens on Earth. Lena knew that she would never have stooped to that level of depravity, but after her time with Kara, the very idea twisted her stomach painfully. Without realizing it, Lena had brought her right hand to her stomach and her left hand to her mouth. She was shaking her head and the tears were starting to fall. “I...I could never. Mon-El, I had no idea about the virus, I swear to God. I would never endorse something like that, it’s awful.” Lena was pleading at this point, trying to make her sincerity plain through her words. “Why would Rhea support this if it’s going to kill her?” Lena gasped, suddenly struck with the major flaw in the plan. 

Mon-El chuckled, “Lena, we all know you now. You’ve already earned our trust.” He sighed again, “As for my mother. She is the one engineering the virus, so she’s built in a loophole for Daxamites. Her motivations are simple. She wants to kill the last Kryptonians as much as your family does. When Krypton exploded, it took Daxam with it. We just barely escaped and millions of our people died. Of course, in my mother’s twisted mind, that means we have to recreate the same fate for the other aliens on Earth. She wants to destroy all _other_ aliens so that she can take Earth for herself once they are out of the way. We all know Supergirl and Superman would never allow that while they’re still alive, so this is a two for one special in her mind. The ironic thing is that Lex and Lillian fear the supers because they fear the ability of aliens to take over Earth, but in their attempt to stop the supers, they are actually paving the way for the only alien actively orchestrating an invasion of Earth with the intention of ruling over all humans.” 

“God, they think they’re so brilliant and they’re just being played. They’re just like the pawns they make everyone else out to be. Oh that’s rich.” Lena turned to lean her back against the arm of the couch and rested her hands in her lap. “I think I can help from the inside. I’ve been compiling a dossier to give to Lois Lane. James mentioned that she’s been investigating LuthorCorp, but if I could work with Winn and the DEO, we might actually have a chance of stopping them for good.”

Lena had two days left in Hoboken before she was to head to National City with Rhea. She spent the time with Siobhan who was acting like she had a brain aneurysm and not just a fainting spell, which Lena knew wasn’t even the case to begin with. Lena rolled her eyes at the thought. She made herself useful getting everyone’s belongings settled and cleaning the whole house top to bottom. Winn came back the next day with a positive report. James’ second surgery had gone well but he was still in an induced coma for a few more days until they were more sure his lung was stable. As of that morning, there was no sign of infection or fluid build up in his lungs. He would still have a few weeks in the hospital, but he appeared to be mostly out of the woods. Winn said that everyone was taking good care of him and that, while they were going stir crazy in the waiting room, it was good to be around everyone. Winn was going to go back for a few hours that afternoon. It took everything they had to convince Siobhan not to go with him, but eventually they succeeded by playing up her headache. 

Imra came the next day with more news, saying that James had woken up and was stable. Kara was by his side all night, not moving an inch once she got back to the DEO after taking Lena and Siobhan home. Lena was scheduled to leave the next day, to everyone’s displeasure. They all gave words of comfort and encouragement as they came and went throughout the day, picking up clean clothes and taking a quick shower. She was sad to leave them, but glad that they had each other to rely upon. Eventually, Siobhan was induced to go with Winn to visit James. They had enlisted J’onn’s shapeshifter abilities and arranged for Siobhan to meet “ _James”_ on a bench near the hospital for a short visit to keep up the ruse. Siobhan said her teary and dramatic goodbye to Lena that morning. Lena was the last one in the house and reflected bittersweetly on her time there as she checked the windows and doors, the stove and faucets, and turned off all the lights. 

Once James recovered and came back to the Hoboken house, they would all be happy again with their little chosen family. Everyone had someone now, and Lena was glad for them. In just a few days, the dark empty room she found herself in would be full of laughter and dancing just like it was every weekend. Bright and fun, the exact opposites of Lena Luthor. 

Lena had an hour of sitting primly on the couch deep in reflection, listening to the rain outside. Lena was startled out of her daydream by her phone, the driver was outside to take her to the airport. Lena stepped outside, closing the door for the last time and looked forlornly at the exterior of the house, the corners of her lips turning down into a slight frown. She would miss the cute little house and all her new friends. She would miss being a normal person. As they drove out of Hoboken, Lena continued in her sad reflections, noting the deli with the best sandwiches and the building where you line up for the ferry, the PATH station down the street. Every familiar building and corner she passed brought on a new feeling; feelings of sadness, longing, friendship, and humor. She thought about the feelings of tension, of wariness, and of friendship she had found there, reconciling with her past. She left it all in the rearview mirror, but the memory of it would stay with her forever. 

Lena arrived at the tarmac and saw that Rhea was already onboard the flight. She applied her ruby red lipstick in the back of the towncar with impeccable precision. She couldn't leave a single gap in her armor. She steeled herself against seeing the woman who had been a dear mother figure, but for whom she now held only disdain in her heart. Lena was anxious about their reunion, but had been trained better than to let it show, the one thing she can attribute to Lillian.

Rhea immediately stood, setting her reading glasses aside on her open laptop to give Lena a hug. It was a private plane, so Lena quickly took a seat and the offered glass of whiskey before catching up with Rhea. Rhea was clearly pleased with how the trip had affected Lena outwardly, she had gotten the most minute tan at the shore and the time spent with friends had added a certain glow to her complexion. Happiness does that, she supposed. Rhea’s compliments reminded Lena of Mercy’s brash appraisal of her just a few days prior, and she blushed in response. 

When they settled into their seats and the plane had taken off successfully, Rhea noted that Lena seemed in higher spirits in addition to looking better. The thoughts of her family’s company and her own position within it had given way to become secondary to her enjoyment of regular life. In fact, Lena had just about lost track of the company’s move to National City, knowing that it was being orchestrated seamlessly by Lillian and, therefore, giving her no cause to worry. When Rhea did bring it up, she noted that the company was established in the new building in downtown National City. Rhea was annoyed that Morgan Edge was still there in an advisory capacity.

Lena blushed at the realization that she had tuned some of what Rhea was saying out, her thoughts having drifted to the group in Metropolis and James’s recovery. Her friends were of much greater interest to her at this point than her family or her company. Lena steadied herself with a breath and focused intently on what Rhea was saying to her. 

It was awkward to discuss anything besides her family, but Lena had to fill Rhea in on the accident at the beach. Rhea would doubtless have heard of it already, so Lena took advantage of the opportunity to tell the story from her own perspective. Rhea made polite conversation, scoffing at the foolishness of James running towards gunmen, and choking over Supergirl’s name as she stuck up her nose at the hero. Lena still couldn’t say her name without betraying her feelings and instead talked about James and his new girlfriend Kara Danvers. Kara Danvers was safe territory, if Supergirl was not. 

Rhea superficially wished them happy, not caring overly much about the fate of either person, relatively unknown to her beyond their acquaintanceship with her son. The flight passed otherwise in silence, each of them engrossed in work on their laptops. Lena received a few texts from Winn with updates on James’s condition. 

Rhea, distracted by Lena’s sudden smile at her phone, the result of a ridiculous Gif from Winn, finally broached the topic on the tip of her tongue the whole plane ride. “You know I’ve been meaning to get lunch with Director Danvers. I’ve yet to get the chance, and I feel somewhat remiss as their largest supplier in Metropolis now that LuthorCorp has skipped town.” Lena did not flinch as expected and Rhea carried on, “I’m sorry to bring it up, I know it must be hard for you. I’m so used to the change now having meetings with the various groups in the building, but I know you haven’t been obliged yet since you’ve been on break in New Jersey.” The last part was said with a particular bite to it. Rhea had helped Lena through finding out about Siobhan and had protected Lena with agreements and NDAs and mountains of paperwork. 

The truth was that Lena had seen inside the newly refinished Luthor Tower and had been amazed at the progress and proud of the new tenants. The building was being used for good, for once. These thoughts brought back memories of sabotage and horror, but also relief that at least some part of her family’s legacy would remain untarnished. Lena couldn’t bring herself to feel possessiveness over the building, to think it was some great shame that her family had been forced to leave it behind. Her only sadness was on behalf of Lionel who would live forever in her memories occupying the top floor office suite and walking her through the labs hand-in-hand.

In the end it was all for naught, Lena and Rhea were on a plane to National City, and Lena had no intention of visiting Metropolis again for a long time. With Kara in Metropolis for the time being, Lena was finally free of the ghost of her past and was looking forward to a new start in National City, even if it was fraught with the danger of going against her family and her oldest friend; up against the highest stakes she’d ever faced, the entirety of the alien population on Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here ends the New Jersey chapters. The rest of the story will take place in National City. Tomorrow we'll have a short chapter where Lena settles into life in National City and gets a surprising memo from Lex. Check out my Tumblr [ bluespruce25](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bluespruce25) for more Supercorp content!


	14. Hometown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena makes herself at home in National City and learns more about what she missed.

Lena’s driver dropped her off outside her new apartment in National City. Lex and Lillian’s broker had selected it for her, and she had approved it without even looking. Lena knew that the broker would never risk the ire of the Luthor family on a bad deal or a less than adequate apartment. Lena found that she was correct in this assessment. As she stepped inside, she noted the advanced, and expensive, security system, the concierge and guard, the private elevator, and the floor to ceiling windows in the loft style penthouse. She had a balcony and an open floor plan living space. There was an extra bedroom with ensuite bathroom, a half bath, and an office on the main floor, with the master suite upstairs. It was styled in neutral colors with a minimalist approach. Everything was clean lines and positive space. The floors were white marble tile in some places and a warm light colored wood in others. It reminded Lena somewhat of the beach house on the shore, but minus the aquatic decor. Lena had just showered, changed, and curled up with two-fingers of whiskey and chinese take-out when her phone rang with an incoming FaceTime from the Hoboken house. It was Winn and Siobhan who were back at the house while everyone else was still at the “ _ hospital” _ . Winn shared that when they left James was in good spirits and looking forward to being discharged in a week or so, though he would still have to come in every other day for routine check ups. He was still somewhat weak, but that was to be expected. 

Siobhan’s only disappointment at the time was how well Imra and Mon-El were getting along and that her opinion was never consulted on anything. Siobhan had been keeping things going at home while the others visited James. Luckily, she seemed to have come down with a sudden and visceral dislike for hospitals. “ _ J’onn is good,”  _ Lena thought to herself. Lena asked about Lucy and Siobhan scoffed, but eventually answered, “Lucy is pretty good, I think. She’s just really...intense. We invited her over to the house, but then she bailed at the last minute. I mean how rude is that? We'd already made arrangements and bought all the food.” Winn rolled his eyes and laughed at his girlfriend, “You and I both know that’s not the whole story.” Turning back to Lena, he explained, “Lucy was under the impression that you were still staying in Hoboken and hadn’t realized that you were already on your way to National City. She was clearly disappointed, and then decided not to come. I’m pretty positive she just wanted an excuse to see you again.” Siobhan rolled her eyes in disbelief. Whether it was because she didn’t like Lucy or didn’t like the center of attention being anyone other than her, Lena couldn’t tell, but she didn’t mind so much. Lena admitted to being flattered and continued on.

“I will say though” Winn continued, “Lucy won’t shut up about you. It’s all she can talk about and all this weird chess mumbo jumbo that no one understands.” Siobhan interrupted him, “Oh come off it, that’s not true. We all know Lucy is a gunpowder and lead kind of girl. Pshhh as if she’d be waxing poetic about checkers.” Lena and Winn just shared a knowing look. Anyone who had paid even the slightest bit of attention to Lucy during their time at the shore would know that they had spoken almost exclusively of chess and strategy. Winn took the camera back, “Listen, it’s obvious that she has a thing for you. She’s been reading through books all week, one after the other, saying it’s some list you gave her, sharing her deepest, and most troubling, insights. I overheard her trying to explain it to Mon-El of all people before complimenting you on your taste in closing moves. No really, I heard it myself, I swear to God!”

“Yeah, sure, whatever you say.” was Siobhan’s only response. 

Winn, perseverant if anything, soldiered on, “I have a feeling you’ll be seeing her soon. She’s headed back to her..um...assignment out West, and I have to imagine she’ll be stopping by National City for a visit. I really talked the city up to her too so she’ll have a reason to go. So many sites to see and tours to take you know? Plus the food scene is to die for out there. Maybe you’ll just have to show her to a nice dinner when she visits.” Winn actually, physically winked with his face. Lena couldn’t believe it and resorted to shaking her head. “I’d be happy to show her the city  _ if _ she visits. I’ve yet to see it myself actually.” After a few more minutes of arguing about whether or not Lucy is boring or just thoughtful, the conversation turned to Kara. Apparently, she was doing much better now that James’ recovery was going so well. She was really hard on herself when it all happened at first, but now she was back to her old bubbly self. That being said, apparently she hadn’t spent much time at the “ _ hospital” _ as she had been called away on urgent “ _ reporter business” _ constantly and was worried about spending too much time there in case it interfered with James’s recovery. Now that he was doing better, she was planning to take a trip on assignment from CatCo. They weren’t sure where to, but she would have to leave Metropolis just as James was getting ready to leave the hospital after a few more days of recovery.

Just as they were finishing up their discussion of Kara, the front door to the Hoboken house opened and Mon-El walked through. Winn grabbed the phone, “Okay we better go so we can order dinner. We miss you! Good luck at work tomorrow. You’ll do great!” and with that the phone screen went black. Lena chuckled at the antics and downed the remainder of her whiskey before standing to pour herself another two-fingers. 

Lena could hardly deny that she was looking forward to a possible visit from Lucy. She had really connected with the intellectual nature of their conversations. Every morning that week, she checked her calendar for any new lunch dates and asked her assistant to leave at least an hour free each day that she could use to grab coffee or lunch, just in case. But after a week without seeing her or hearing from her, Lena supposed that it simply wasn’t meant to be. 

Lena received updates from the Hoboken house, everyone was back in the house, including James. Mon-El took care of him during the day before heading out to the bar for work. They FaceTimed again once, and Lena could tell that the house was going back to its usual state of chaotic excitement. Lena couldn’t help but wonder at the contrast between the bustling room in the background of their call and the sad empty house she had left. James was set to go back to work in another week or so. Kara was gone on that assignment Winn had told her about with no clear plans on when or if she'd be back. 

Lena also started work on Monday. She had taken the weekend to get settled and had ventured past the new building. It was a beautiful building, but it was also modern and pretentious, annoyingly fitting for one of the biggest technology firms in the country. National City itself was somewhat dirty and vapid. The wealth gap in the sprawling metropolitan area was just objectively evil. Lena had donated two million dollars of her own funds to poverty relief that first weekend, but knew she would have to do more in her new hometown. “ _ Home _ ,” Lena thought,  _ “we’ll see about that.”  _

Lena’s secretary had compiled a welcome binder for her review over the weekend. The only real item of note was a memo from Lex describing advancements in the previously frigid relationship between Mercy Graves and the Luthor family. Mercy had arrived shortly before Lena and had apparently asked Lillian to lunch the next day. Mercy followed up on the lunch with a few meetings apiece with Lex and Lillian and then had hosted them for dinner just the night before. Lillian was still suspicious, but Lex seemed cautiously optimistic at the idea of at least one of his threats being eliminated when the others were so dire. Lena discussed it with Rhea who was likewise enthusiastic at the development. Lena was hardly motivated for the same reasons to look forward to a reconciliation, but she did have to admit that she wouldn’t mind seeing Mercy again, if only to better understand what those appraising looks were all about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was a short chapter, but there will be another tomorrow! Tomorrow's chapter will focus on Mercy and her new-found role within the Luthor's innner circle. In the meantime, check out more Supercorp content on my Tumblr [ bluespruce25](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bluespruce25).


	15. Give Me Mercy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy Graves get cozy with the Luthor family, and by default, with Lena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt bad that last chapter was so short so please enjoy this equally short bonus chapter for your enjoyment.

Lena had to admit, she was impressed with the new building downtown. Being inside was a whole different experience. Lex gave her a personal tour of the facilities on her first day. The building was light and airy with plenty of natural light. It was built with a split core meaning that sunlight could pass all the way from one end to the other and straight through the middle. It was innovative and clean. She couldn’t fault the building really, just its expense and location. 

Regardless, Lena walked into her office in the labs with mixed feelings. On the one had she was glad to get back to the hands-on work she loved. On the other hand, she couldn’t bring herself to feel at home in the new building and, on top of that, she had to figure out how to feed information discreetly to the DEO to bring Lilian and Lex down from the inside. She knew that she would be spending far more time in her office in the labs than in the spacious apartment she had settled into the weekend before. She couldn’t help but wonder what the expiration date would be on her time down there. One way or another, it would all go away within a few months. She was pleasantly surprised, despite it all, at the warm welcome she received from her family. Lex was eager to show off his new building and Lillian was eager to show her off to the new cadre of investors they were pursuing in National City. Morgan Edge was a constant presence, of course, but his flattery got him nowhere with her. Lena was expecting to have to put on a smiling face for her reentry into business life, but she found herself pleasantly surprised at the good morale of those who had gotten out there before her. Her family cared very little for news from Metropolis and this, thankfully, spared Lena from having to supply any details that could be costly later. They cared only for the latest and greatest in National City, invigorated by the new blood for them to spill in the technology market. 

They were pleased to assure her that National City lived up to its promise. Their building was the tallest and the newest. Their calendars were booked solid for months and they were having to turn down invitations for business lunches and dinners. Having Lena there would ease that burden a bit as they planned to bring her more into the limelight, having her take on some of the lesser connections to keep the investments flowing. Lena couldn’t believe that her family was actually  _ happy _ in National City. They seemed to have entirely forgotten that they had relocated in shame on the brink of financial collapse, no they were instead enamored by their popularity and novelty on the West Coast. Lena was amazed that they could be so thrilled with their position when it was born of necessity rather than success.

Lena soon learned that she had underestimated the role of Mercy Graves in their newly found happiness. Lex and Lillian had a great deal to share on the topic of the CFO. Not only was she wholly forgiven, but they were delighted with her. She had been in National City for a few weeks, and her first meeting upon arriving had been the aforementioned lunch with Lillian. Mercy continued the constant attention, apologies, and invitations until she was back in good standing. It was a testament to the power of flattery, Lena thought, that Mercy should be able to reconcile a years long grudge in the matter of weeks. If anything, this made Lena  _ more  _ leery of Mercy’s intentions rather than less. 

Lex and Lillian could find no fault in Mercy. She had explained away all _misunderstanding_ from the last few years as having all originated in the silly idea that she was somehow trying to steal power from underneath them. She claimed to never have had any intention of such a thing, but rather had been amassing support _for_ them and carefully crafting the narrative of their financial success with board members to avoid any unnecessary panic when things got tough. Mercy was aghast at the idea, jokingly presented, of course, that she had been arranging affairs for a coup. She had been entirely loyal to the Luthor family and had successfully navigated them through market fluctuations and change of leadership after Lionel died, ensuring successful mergers and diversifying their real estate holdings. She insisted that she had done everything in her power to keep the company operating at a profit, even with the recent market shocks that prompted the relocation. Lillian and Lex seemed to find this explanation convincing, though Lena wasn’t prepared to accept it out of hand just yet. 

Mercy had taken to stopping by their offices in the C-Suite throughout the day and having dinner with them in the evenings. Lillian and Lex do not generally do dinners, preferring to work through them most nights, so their willingness to entertain Mercy was a new development. Mercy divulged that she was so happy to have renewed their friendship that she was happier now with them in National City than she had ever been alone in Metropolis. 

Lena listened to these exchanges, but couldn’t quite believe the ease with which Mercy was reinserting herself into the Luthors’ lives. Lena knew that a lot could be forgiven when both parties had something to gain from the truce, but it still sounded so over the top that she wanted to gag into her dinner plate. She couldn’t help the feeling in her gut prodding her that there was more there than met the eye. The timing, in particular, was suspicious. While it’s true that the Luthor’s had a lot to gain from Mercy’s support at this precarious time, there was not a lot that Mercy needed from them. In fact, Mercy had made it quite clear over the last few years that she could excel without any assistance from the family. She was already a top executive at a top company, she could hardly expect a higher salary elsewhere, and she had almost unilateral power over her area of the company given the hands-off role the Luthors had taken regarding daily operating costs and profits. In fact, if the Luthors had been more involved, maybe Lex would have learned something that could have prevented him from making such a mess out of things. It was soon whispered that Mercy might have a renewed interest in a romantic relationship with Lex. Lex and Lillian spoke of it purely in strategic terms without any thought to affection or attraction between the two of them. While Lena might admit that Mercy seemed to be someone who might also think transactionally, Lena had a feeling that perhaps Lex wasn’t quite Mercy’s type. It was clear that Morgan Edge was goading Lex on by the way he snickered at Lex everytime Mercy’s name came up. 

Lena mentioned having run into Mercy at the shore, but no one seemed to care much. They were too busy recounting their own tales of the illustrius Mercy Graves. Lillian in particular seemed to admire the younger woman, perhaps seeing something of herself in the predatory way Mercy latched on to investors and bled them dry. Lillian praised her style and her appearance, she praised her good business sense and her sharp wit. “ _ Of course, _ ” Lena thinks, _ “Lillian would love a carbon copy of herself above all others, wouldn’t she. Only someone exactly like herself would be good enough for her precious son.”  _ On one occasion, the mention of Mercy Graves led Lex and Morgan down a despicable tirade about the relative attractiveness of women in National City and Metropolis. The way they reduced women to play things and objectified them for their bodies and faces made Lena sick. It was such a weak display of performative male dominance. They dissected women’s ages and willingness to sleep with accomplished businessmen. It was the optime of everything wrong with the culture of National City, and Lena knew it would only be encouraged there. 

Lena was busy trying to hack into LuthorCorp files though Lex’s desktop perched a few feet away, finding it fitting pay back for the vitriol she had to endure while he and Morgan got progressively less sober in the office at 4 pm on a Thursday. She had just gotten into the necessary files when a knock at the door interrupted them. Cursing the timing, she set the program to auto download then back itself out slowly, erasing every trace of the intrusion one step at a time until it was gone, the hacking equivalent of that scene in 101 Dalmations where they cover their tracks by wiping a pine bough over the fresh snow behind them. Taking one last moment to make sure it was all in place, Lena stood to receive their guest. Lex looked peeved, “who on earth could be bothering me when my schedule is clearly blocked for the rest of the evening. I am in _no_ mood - ”  _ or state, _ Lena thinks, “to do business right now.” The sudden anger was gone a moment later when Mercy poked her head into the office. 

“I hope I’m not interrupting, but I thought I would come say hi and see if you wanted to go for a drink tonight before dinner. Ahh, I can see you’ve started without me. In that case, mind if I join in?” Mercy said with a smirk, already walking over to the decanters and crystal glasses on Lex’s sidebar. Lena hung back, keeping an eye on the inconspicuous icon on her tablet showing the progress of the hack. At just that moment, Lex seemed to remember that Lena was in the room with them. “Mercy, you haven’t yet met my sister, Lena, I believe. She was not yet with the company when we were last all together and she has recently been in Metropolis overseeing the rear-guard of the transfer.” Lena blushed despite herself, smiling and raising a hand to grasp Mercy’s outstretched palm in greeting. 

Lena had chosen a killer outfit for that day in light of an important meeting with an overseas investor, and it had clearly paid off. Mercy was none too shy as she took a long hard look at Lena’s attire, starting with her red bottoms and ending with her flawless high ponytail, pausing momentarily at her hips, chest, and ruby red lips. Mercy flushed a bit herself, something Lena hadn’t expected. It was clear that the woman was responding positively to Lena. Mercy recovered and returned the standard greetings, apologies, and dismissals, all while keeping Lena’s hand in her own. Lena couldn’t deny being affected herself, Mercy looked stunning in her expertly tailored Givenchy dress and pristine make-up. As always, Mercy’s hair was in a perfect state of suspended coiffure. Lena would really have to get her secret to the perfect blow out because no one’s hair should have that much volume at 4 pm. Lena could easily say that she had only ever been this instantly attracted to one other person, considerably younger and less put together. They weren’t at all the same, but, perhaps, Lena thought, they could be equally good. 

Mercy sat down on the couch next to Lena, handing Lena the tablet which Lena promptly locked and stowed behind her on the bookshelf. Thankfully, she had the foresight to program the bug to run in the background in case this happened and she wasn’t able to keep her computer active throughout the lengthy session necessary for the hack. Mercy’s presence greatly improved the conversation, not that the bar was very high. 

Lena could tell that Mercy was a shrewd business woman and quick on her feet when it came to managing the two belligerent man-babies in front of her. Mercy stroked their egos and then followed up with a quick jab to their pride. She was funny and intuitive. She was able to keep them engaged in conversation without veering into the mundane or banal. She had a knack for fitting into the boys’ club without reverting to the pseudo-misogyny that some women used to gain influence in a group of men. As soon as Lex and Morgan were sufficiently preening, practicing their putting down the length of Lex’s office,  Mercy turned her attention to Lena and asked her about her time at the shore and shared her own history with the small town where they had run into each other. It turns out that the cafe they stopped at for lunch is one of Mercy’s favorites and that she owns the building the photography shop is in and was just in to discuss changes to the rent payment process with her tenants in light of her relocation to National City. Normally, she would swing by to pick it up in person each month, but that wouldn’t be possible anymore with her on the other side of the country so she set up an automated online payment system for them instead so that they could just submit it electronically. Mercy confessed that she was sad now to not have said hello and made more of an effort the first time they ran into each other or later that day at lunch. She had seen how much fun their table was having while she ate alone in her usual spot and had been somewhat jealous of their raucous little group. 

Eventually, Lex and Morgan got restless and Lillian and Rhea entered ushering them all out to dinner, though the men were already half in the bag at that point. Lena grabbed her tablet and excused herself to run down to the lab to get her purse and coat. She didn’t have much time to herself, but she uploaded the files to her personal, non-traceable device, before deleting them from the tablet, smashing it on the corner of the desk for good measure, and grabbing her stuff to leave. If anyone asked, she could just say that she dropped it. 

Mercy was engaged in conversation with Lillian and Rhea for most of the night going over projections for a new product about to launch, but eventually she was able to turn the conversation back to Lena and to the shore. Rhea perked up at hearing about the shore and asked if Mercy had been there when the shooting occured. Interest thoroughly piqued, Mercy responded in the negative and asked Lena to please elaborate. And so, with never before seen interest from her family, Lena recounted a modified version of the events that had occurred at the shore a few weeks before. After dinner, Mercy said goodnight and wished them well, giving them all a kiss on the cheek, but lingering just slightly when she got to Lena. Lena hoped that the attractive woman wouldn’t notice the hitch in her breath or the blush creeping up her neck at their proximity. 

All in all, the first week at LuthorCorp National City hadn’t been half bad. Lena had renewed interest from her family, had made progress in the lab and with her corporate espionage, and now she had spent a full evening receiving the flattering attentions of Mercy Graves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tune in tomorrow to see Lena get to know Mercy better. Will she like what she finds? In the meantime, check out more Supercorp content on my Tumblr [ bluespruce25](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bluespruce25).


	16. Bloodlust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Luthors' relationships weave a delicate web that Lena tries to navigate without getting bitten.

There was one relationship that Lena cared about even more than that of Mercy Graves and Lex Luthor, and that was the possibility, however remote, of a relationship between Morgan Edge and Lillian Luthor. Unfortunately, Lena had more cause to worry than even she had anticipated. Lena had only been there a few days when, arriving late to family dinner at one of their go-to restaurants, she overheard Lex and Morgan deep in discussion. “-everything is settled, there’s no need for me here in National City. I should get back to my clients in Metropolis.” To which Lex replied, “Nonsense, you are one of our top advisors, we will need you here for awhile longer to make sure everything is in place. We’ll make sure you are more than compensated for it.” Lena wasn’t overly shocked by this display. Lex wasn’t above the necessary nepotism and generosity necessary to keep close friends closer, but Lena was somewhat shocked at what Lillian said next, “Morgan, you have hardly seen the city since you’ve been here. You came to make business connections and we’ve monopolized all your time preventing you from doing just that. Let me help make some connections for you, set up some lunches with my circle here, then you can go when you’re ready.” Coming from Lililan, this was about as warm as it got. Lena knew that she would never get as much from her mother, that was for sure. Morgan was easily convinced, though something in his manner made Lena think that perhaps it had all been an act from the outset. She trusted Morgan about as far as she could throw him. Eyes narrowed, but, mask in place, Lena took her place at the table and observed quietly for the rest of the evening. 

The next morning, Lena got coffee with Lillian before work. Lillian asked her about her time in “New Jersey was it?” and complimented her on her looks, commenting that she looked “somewhat refreshed”. “Vacations are good for the complexion, just look at Morgan. He vacations more than he works and his complexion is immaculate for a man of his age.” 

Lena was incredulous, but she covered it swiftly in the rim of her smoothie glass. Maybe if Lex heard what Lillian was saying, or even Rhea, she would have some support, but as it was, Lena was the only one with Lillian at the moment. Lillian entering into a romantic alliance with Morgan wouldn’t be all that bad, as long as Lex had someone to keep him occupied as well. There’s no telling what explosion might happen if one of the pair found happiness without the other. Lillian and Lex were two peas in a pod and heaven help the person who came between them. 

Rhea noticed all on her own and was disgruntled to see Morgan preening, being sought for advice and given deference in family matters while Lena was all but forgotten down in her labs. Rhea had her eye on Morgan and endeavored to track the situation closely, both his friendship with Lex and whatever romantic overtures he was not so subtly performing for Lillian. 

Rhea was getting to know Mercy better as well, and unlike with Morgan, Rhea seemed drawn to her instantly. Mercy was all sharp wit and steel backbone. She was immensely clever and brilliant at her job. Rhea joked more than once about stealing her away to her own company. One night over drinks, Rhea asked Lena, “Is this really the same Mercy Graves we accused of trying to take over LuthorCorp from the inside?” Rhea couldn’t think of a more competent CFO or a more charming woman. She appeared to be loyal and thoughtful, and brightly funny. She was reserved in manner and dress, but wasn’t afraid to flaunt her position a little, having a taste for expensive clothes and sports cars. She was steady, observant, moderate, candid; never in over her head and always in control of the situation. Rhea was convinced that the CFO would make a very powerful wife for someone. Mercy had been alone a long time, focused on her career, but Rhea thought perhaps the time was right for a strategic union. Rhea’s approval of Mercy in some ways balanced her doubt of Morgan. 

Lena had already gone through the rude awakening of realizing that Rhea was far from the perfect mother figure she had made her out to be. She knew that their opinions differed greatly on many things, and this was just one of them. Rhea didn’t see any reason to suspect ulterior motives from Mercy in her sudden desire to be brought back into the fold. Rhea thought, rather, that the move had simply provided Mercy with an opportunity to extend an olive branch which could only benefit them all. Rhea explained away the past with the idea that Mercy had simply gotten caught up trying to be a woman in a powerful position; trying to hold on while being assailed from all directions by greedy, entitled men. She had, perhaps, just taken things too far when it came to Lillian and Lex, who could have otherwise been powerful allies were it not for her fear of power grabs against her. Lena wanted to counter by asking why, then, Mercy had even bothered amassing internal power and positioning herself for a take-over, but refrained after realizing it would do no good and would only show her hand too early. 

They all speculated whether Mercy and Lex would make any moves towards one another romantically. Mercy had certainly been paying him a lot of attention, but only within the context of the broader family setting, never on their own. It was understandable given how busy Mercy was. Regardless of her improving position with the family, she still had the same duty to fulfill as CFO. 

Whatever happened between Lex and Mercy, Lena had to admit that the woman was the closest thing she had to a friend in the new city. Lena found herself enjoying the time spent with Mercy, enjoying the understanding they shared about being women in a man’s world. They talked about the shore often, imagining future outings there and remembering their run in with humor. Mercy was obvious with her flirtation and Lena reciprocated to the point appropriate, still trying to understand what Mercy’s angle might be. Looking into Mercy’s brown eyes, Lena couldn’t help but wish for blue eyes to be looking back. 

Mercy and Lena didn’t always agree, particularly where the company was concerned. Mercy wanted to pursue additional, lucrative weapons contracts while Lena would prefer to focus on restorative technology like medical equipment and clean energy solutions. As is to be expected, the geeks and the money men wouldn’t see eye-to-eye on the company’s priorities. One day, they all got an email alerting them to the pending arrival of the current U.S. Secretary of Defense, General Samuel Lane. He had been recently confirmed in the cabinet position and LuthorCorp was anxious to cement their positive working relationship. The only question was, how do they reach out without seeming too desperate?

In the end, that was for Lex and Lillian to decide. Lex was able to leverage his connections within the Department of Defense to get a phone call with the General who was more than happy to recommit, off the record, to their fruitful partnership in his newly expanded role. This was all the ammunition Lex needed to tout his “government connections at the highest level” in everyday conversation, business meetings, and interviews with potential clients or investors. 

Lena was disgusted by the sheer glee in Lex’s eyes at the idea of developing and selling even more lethal weapons to the Department of Defense, the real Department of Defense, not the DEO in disguise. Had General Lane displayed anything even slightly resembling noble intentions, Lena might have thought otherwise, understanding as a pragmatist the need for a robust military, but General Lane was nothing but a bloodthirsty warmonger with one skill in life, killing as many people as he could in as little time as possible, macabre efficiency. 

Rhea confessed that she was a bit put off by his overt desire to blow things up, but acknowledged that it was an important partnership for LuthorCorp’s success. When Lena brought it up with Mercy, she found much the same answer; General Lane leaves a lot to be desired, but the contract is valuable and lucrative for the company, plus it had the advantage of recommending LuthorCorp implicitly for other projects foreign and domestic. 

“My idea of a good partnership, Mercy, does not rely on the steady stream of innocent lives as fodder for the military industrial complex to survive. Surely infinite war cannot be a sustainable business model in advanced society. Now, clean energy and technology that helps people? _That_ is a decent path forward.”

“You are mistaken, my dear,” Mercy rebutted gently, a flirtatious glint in her eye, “that is not a _decent_ path forward; that is the _best_ path forward. A decent path forward requires only that it be sustainable in the short term, carry little risk, and have large profit margins. The sustainability and profit margins are the foremost concerns, but the risk is negotiable. Oh! Don’t roll your eyes at me, Lena Luthor. I know that you have high ideals, but this is business, and business, Lena darling, is no place for ideals. Will your ideals protect you? Will they help you become successful or powerful? Will they shield you from the wrath of the common man? Isn’t it better to do well in the business we can and give back where possible? This partnership will be huge for LuthorCorp, and for your family, just you wait. You could become the richest family in this country, if you play your cards right.”

“Yes,” sighed Lena, “we are on track to take the lead as the wealthiest family in the world.” then remembering herself, and realizing that Mercy won’t for a second understand why that is a negative thing, or pick up on her sarcasm, she added, “I just think there is far too much emphasis placed on our military contracts when technology is permeating every facet of every industry in the 21st century. There is so much more we could be doing to diversify. You think General Lane cares about our profits and long-term viability? He only cares about the rate at which one of our weapons can cut down the enemy.”

“Lena, I can’t believe you. General Lane is a smart man and LuthorCorp is at the top of the world in technology, both military and civilian. The Luthors are not a family to trifle with, I assure you.”

“Well, I for one hope to leave a mark on civilian technology _outside_ the Luthor name.”

This caught Mercy's attention. “I love your spunk,” she said, “it’s so refreshing. But here you are at the new headquarters of LuthorCorp in National City and someone has to pay for this shiny new building. I know you want to do good in the world. I aspire to that as well, but honestly, I think you’ll agree that any distraction from the growing relationship between the Luthors and their misguided advisors is worth pursuing.”

Mercy had gestured with a flick of her head to where Morgan and Lex were practicing their putting again, whiskeys in hand. Lena thought the bridge from enabling mass-murder to warding off gold-diggers was a bit of a stretch even for Mercy, but she was, at the very least, glad to have someone else on her side for that particular fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for following along this long! Tomorrow you'll get a special treat with the (re)appearance of an exciting new character. Until then, get more Supercorp content on my Tumblr [ bluespruce25](tumblr.com/blog/bluespruce25).


	17. Friends in Low Places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena comes across an unexpected friend and struggles with the new found attention from Mercy.

While Lex and Lillian were pursuing military contracts with General Lane, Lena was busy renewing a friendship of her own. She had been taking on some of the networking lunches and charity events when Lillian and Lex were too busy to attend; opportunities that would have otherwise been missed under the strain of the new contracts . At one such event, she ran into the former CEO of a company LuthorCorp had acquired three years prior. The CEO, Jack Spheer, had been tough, but fair in the negotiations and Lena had been pleased to hear that he found something even better shortly after. During their impromptu chat, Jack happened to mention that their former head of accounting Samantha Arias had also relocated to National City recently. Lena was overjoyed at the unexpected news and got Sam’s contact information from Jack on the spot. Lena remembered Sam fondly. She had met her late one night leaving LuthorCorp. Lena was always a bit of a workaholic, so imagine her surprise on her way out of the building at 2 am, when she saw another light on and found Sam hard at work in the conference room they had been using for negotiations, crunching the numbers for the acquisition team. They had hit it off immediately and Lena had finally made her own friend in Metropolis. It was so refreshing to have someone outside of high society to be with on a regular Friday night. Sam helped Lena through everything with Siobhan and with her family. They became fast friends, but soon the merger was complete and Sam moved away from Metropolis after which they lost touch.

Jack filled Lena in on the spaces in between. Sam had gotten pregnant shortly before the acquisition was complete and had found herself unemployed and about to be a single mother, the father not in the picture at all. The sudden loss of income had been tough on her and forced her to accept a lesser position in Star City. Eventually, she worked her way back up the ranks and was promoted and transferred out to National City, but she was still woefully underemployed in her position there. Her daughter, Ruby, was a cute two-year old toddler that had won everyone’s hearts, but still, Jack thought it must have been hard. He had tried to help, but Sam was stubborn and proud; she would never accept help she felt she hadn’t earned with her own two hands. Jack suggested that Lena reach out to Sam to renew their friendship, and Lena couldn’t resist the temptation of having a friendly face back in her life. 

Lena quietly contacted the head of HR and found Sam a better position on Mercy’s team, but low enough that Mercy wouldn’t know that Lena had meddled. It was still a considerable step up for Sam, though she would remain underemployed until the day that she ran a Fortune 50 company of her own. Sam was a force to be reckoned with, and Lena was honestly just glad that LuthorCorp was in a position to snag her up on such short notice. Lena made sure that the salary was commensurate with Sam’s qualifications, rather than the work she’d be doing and went so far as to fund the additional salary out of her own budget in R&D to avoid any suspicious line items on Mercy’s staffing plans. Lena did the whole thing through third parties and official channels so that Sam wouldn’t suspect her involvement and refuse on principle. Perhaps it was a bit underhanded, but Lena couldn’t resist the idea of working with her friend again. 

On Sam’s first day, Lena stopped by with flowers to congratulate her and their friendship was more than renewed. They picked right back up where they had left off three years prior. The first few minutes were awkward as Lena explained running into Jack and asked about Ruby. The years since they last saw each other were short, but packed full of life happening. Lena had gone from the R&D nerd in slacks to the head of R&D in pencil skirts and killer heels. Sam had gone from a carefree, but dedicated accountant to single mother whose whole life revolved around her little girl. Sam was not to be pitied, but Lena couldn’t help but note the change in her friend. If anything, Sam seemed to live now with a purpose and with balance that she had lacked before. Sam was happy personally, if unfulfilled professionally. Right off the bat, she accused Lena of securing the position, rightly so, and Lena confessed, but Sam was so pleased at the change of pace that she didn’t go so far as to reject the offer, having already sat through hours of mandatory trainings. 

Immediately, Lena knew she could trust and confide in Sam and that she would come to rely on her old friend. Sam had not been run down by the circumstances of the last two years. If anything, they had made Sam a more open friend and a more efficient employee. Sam was unwaveringly kind and generous. Her warmth drew Lena in just as it had in the past. 

The second time they got together, Lena invited Sam over to her new apartment. Sam told her story from her own perspective, openly sharing the difficult details without sparing Lena’s feelings. Apparently, Sam had been fired unexpectedly towards the end of the merger because her position was deemed redundant to existing LuthorCorp staff. The same week, she discovered that she was pregnant with Ruby. Sam was estranged from her adoptive mother and had no one to turn to, so she took what emergency funds she had and went to live in a small town out west with a low cost of living while she applied for jobs. The search was made more difficult as she became more visibly pregnant and employers didn’t want to hire someone that was going to immediately be out on maternity leave. At the end of her emergency funds, she finally got an offer for a low-level accounting position in Star City. Six months prior, the offer would have been an insult, but these were becoming desperate times. Sam made the difficult decision to take the step backwards in her career in order to give her and Ruby any chance at all of making it. Since then, Sam had been working her way back up the ranks and had been sent to National City in a managerial role. Still, it had been three years and Sam was just now returning to the level she had been at before the merger. When she got the offer from LuthorCorp to take the same job she would have had if she hadn’t been fired after the merger, she couldn’t believe the irony. She suspected something might be off when she saw the salary being offered, but she couldn’t afford to look the gift horse in the mouth when it meant the difference between Ruby going to a good private school or being side-lined to the underperforming district in which they lived. 

Despite all of this, Lena had reason to believe that Sam didn’t let the bitterness of starting her career over again dominate her thoughts. Lena couldn’t imagine having to go through the same thing herself. She watched, observed, reflected like the scientist she was. After careful analysis, Lena concluded that Sam was still Sam because she had set aside her pride to allow herself to adjust to the situation in front of her. She made decisions based on what she had and what she needed at the moment, not clouded by the aspirations of her past self. Sam was just _good_. There was no simpler way to put it. Her inherent goodness turned her away from the bitterness and self-pity that could have eaten her alive. Her love for Ruby outshone the peril of her circumstances and helped her see beyond herself. There was nothing Sam couldn’t overcome if it was for Ruby’s sake. Lena couldn’t help but admire her friend and was, in fact, a little envious of having something so precious; worth sacrificing everything and anything to hold onto. 

Sam divulged that there had been a time, just before she got the call from Star City where she had come to doubt her decisions and wallow in her desperation, but she came out the other side stronger, knowing what it looked like to be at rock bottom and that nothing could ever come between her and her daughter. Along the way, she had learned to rely on herself and to be smart and self-sufficient. She had learned who she could trust when things were at their worst. 

With that Sam laughed and hung her head, shaking it with a smile on her face, “I have to say, I am so glad to be out of there though. God! It is so good to be back with the A-team.” Sam was enthusiastic about having a company of this size to help manage. She had always had a passion for following the money and a critical eye for detail that made her an ace with the numbers. Lena had no idea how her brain managed it, but Sam could track through a spreadsheet with the best of them. She was positively vibrating with the idea of having billions of dollars worth of data to play around with in her new position. Sam said that the P&L was the only gossip you could trust. Lena remarked, “Oh I can easily believe that. I mean everything leaves a money trail these days. I'm not sure I want to know the skeletons buried in those ledgers."

“Exactly!” Sam said, then added more thoughtfully, “sometimes, though the mysteries we unravel are worse than we imagine. Evil can be concealed almost anywhere if you try hard enough, but you can never hide from the money trail, not completely. You can lie and you can go back on their word, but you can’t hide a digital transaction.” 

Lena could tell that Sam had found things in her work throughout the years that stayed with her; that troubled her, but before she could say anything, Sam had plastered a smile on her face and changed the topic entirely. “I can’t wait to work under Mercy Graves, what an _icon_.”

\---

Lena and Sam had been hanging out fairly regularly for a few weeks. They ate lunch in the park and took long walks through the city between meetings, enjoying the temperate fall weather. They both agreed that sunny National City beat out dreary Metropolis in October. Lena didn’t mention her blossoming friendship with Sam to anyone else in the family, until it was absolutely necessary. Lex, Lillian, and Morgan came back to the office late one afternoon and called an emergency family meeting. Lena ran up from the labs still in her coat only to find that the emergency was that General Lane had invited them to a small private weapons testing event at one of the secure dessert facilities that Thursday. Lillian expected everyone with the last name Luthor to be in attendance and in perfect form. Lena had already promised Sam that she would watch Ruby that night, and, though she would never say this out loud, was glad to have an excuse not to attend. “I’m sorry, but I am unavailable Thursday night due to a personal obligation. Please make the appropriate apologies on my behalf.” They didn’t really care if Lena went or not, but Lillian made her disgust plain when Lena explained what her prior engagement entailed. 

“I’m sorry, dear, it sounded for a moment like you just told me that you are going to miss one of the most important business meetings of the year with our single biggest client so that you can play house with the bastard daughter of a girl who can’t keep her legs closed. My god, what astonishing priorities you have and what _interesting_ friends you keep. You find someone who wouldn’t even be allowed in polite company and choose to do her a favor rather than supporting the family business that has given you everything in life, including your current employment, if you recall. Obviously, you’ll just have to cancel and allow her to make other arrangements.”

Lena doesn’t often stand up to her mother, but her comments about Sam and Ruby were too far and Lena was seeing red, “I most certainly will _not._ I have made a promise to a friend who has only ever asked this one small thing of me and I will not go back on my word now.”

“And this is how you’ve been spending your time? Associating with a morally ambiguous nobody? How could that possibly be more important than your family, your career, or this business? My god, Lena! Do you even think about what it would look like for you to associate with someone like that? If the papers got a hold of it, what do you think they’d say about her daughter?”

Lena considered pointing out that Morgan Edge, their most trusted advisor had his own dodgy past and a few skeletons in his own closet. Lena was fuming, but knew that if she said anything else she would go completely off the rails and then Lillian would have won. Instead, she simply set her jaw, stood gracefully, and left the room, returning to the labs to weld things in peace. 

\---

When Thursday rolled around, Lena went to Sam’s to watch Ruby and the others went to the weapons test. The next day Lex and Lillian wouldn’t stop gushing over what they had seen and the contacts they had made. Lena’s being unavailable eventually led to the inclusion of Rhea and Mercy instead. Lillian was quick to point out how Rhea and Mercy had rearranged their busy schedules as executives of major companies at the honor of having been invited, even if it was last minute. Lena had already heard the account from Rhea and the only thing of note was that Rhea said Mercy had talked about Lena all day; that Mercy had looked forward to seeing her, lamented that she would not, and admired Lena for sticking with her friend for the evening. Mercy seemed enamored with the idea that Lena was _deigning_ to help out a dear friend. Lena was thankful for not having mentioned that the friend was Mercy’s new employee or mentioning her at all by name, in fact. Apparently, Mercy told Rhea all about how much Lena charmed her with her good looks, impeccable intellect, and ambition. Rhea was impressed to have met her match in discussing Lena’s greatest attributes. Lena was aware that Rhea was intentionally building this up for Lena’s benefit, and, until Lena could figure out what Mercy’s game plan was, she didn’t mind the positive attention one bit.

Rhea, it seemed, was entirely convinced of Mercy’s positive place in the group. It helped that she was convinced beyond all doubt that Mercy was angling to get Lena on her arm. Rhea couldn’t think of anyone who could stand with the youngest Luthor and actually deserve her. Obviously, Rhea wouldn’t share any of this with Lena, afraid of scaring her off prematurely, but could see that Mercy was playing the long game; earning her trust and stoking her intrigue before moving into anything romantic. Rhea couldn’t help herself when it came to dropping hints though. Lena saw what she was doing and smiled demurely into her wine, gently shaking her head. 

“I’m no match-maker, as you well know,” Rhea continued, “we all know there are way too many variables in the human condition to calculate compatibility with any accuracy. I just mean to say that I have observed that Mercy seems to enjoy your company, and you seem to enjoy hers, and if she were to, _down the road_ , ask you on a proper date, and if you weren’t _appalled_ by the idea, you could find yourselves enjoying one another’s company. I can’t think of a couple that would work better together or be better for the image of the company. Imagine the possibilities with the two of you together! In any case, I think she would make you happy; keep you on your toes.”

“Mercy is a beautiful and accomplished woman, and in many ways, I really admire her,” Lena replied, “but as a couple, I don’t think so.”

Rhea didn’t say anything to this other than to lament, “I just want to see your place with LuthorCorp secured and for you to be able to enact your vision on the company. You have such beautiful dreams for it all. I think you and Mercy could make them a reality. You’d be the ultimate power couple, honestly. With her knack for negotiations and your brilliant mind for innovation. You’d be unstoppable. It makes me smile just to think about it; it would make me so happy to see!”

Lena stood up gently with a small smile and walked to the wall of windows looking over the city. They both knew that she did this to collect herself rather than out of any feigned disinterest. Rhea thought she was overcome with her feelings about Mercy, which wasn’t entirely false, but far more pressing were the wheels turning in Lena’s head about Rhea. Was there some kind of plot at hand? Was Rhea trying to manipulate Lena into upstaging her family, playing the long con? Was Mercy in on it or was Rhea just trying to bet on the winning side in the eventual fall out? Lena knew that she couldn’t mean anything she said about Lena’s vision for LuthorCorp when Rhea herself was working with Lillian to commit genocide, something Lena would never support or condone. Rhea knew that Lea was peaceful at heart and Lena couldn’t believe that Rhea would seriously consider that Lena would be interested in furthering her agenda. If Lena and Mercy allied themselves and forced a transfer of power, the company would move towards solving the world’s worst diseases and ending the energy crisis. Lena stopped herself before she could fall down the rabbit hole of imagining a LuthorCorp dedicated to bettering the world rather than destroying it one drone strike at a time. 

Lena considered Mercy’s role and what she had learned of the CFO over the last few weeks. Lena realized that, while she knew Mercy’s general opinions of herself and her pedagogy for doing business, Lena didn’t know anything about the woman’s character. Sure Mercy was a brilliant business woman and a consummate professional. She was beautiful and thoughtful for those she deemed worthy. Lena couldn’t point to anything that Mercy had done or said that was out of line or crossed any hard and fast ethical boundaries, but still Lena had no measure of Mercy’s actual actions or the way she conducted herself when not at work. Unlike the rest of her family, Lena hadn’t forgotten all of the years when the Luthors had distrusted the CFO and all the reasons she had, perhaps, earned that distrust. Lena could tell from certain passing comments and the names of board members she mentioned meeting that there was an underlying strategy to the game Mercy was playing. Even if Mercy wasn’t trying to undermine the Luthors at this very moment, it was clear that she had been trying to at one point. How could Lena reasonably believe that Mercy had left all that scheming behind when she was clearly so political in her base nature?

Mercy was rational, discreet, polished, but she was not open. There was never any burst of feeling, any simmering of distaste or delight in reaction to the evil or good of others. With as much time as Mercy spent with the Luthors, Lena should have had many opportunities to observe all of these reactions, and yet she couldn’t recall a single instance of emotion displayed by the CFO, no loss of composure, even in a staged way. After her time in Hoboken, Lena could easily see that she was drawn to the open frankness that the roommates possessed. When someone was happy, it was a group celebration. When someone was upset, they weren’t afraid to let it show and be comforted by their friends. The sincerity of these genuine interactions was a balm she missed sorely in her corporate-soaked life. Lena herself had to be always on edge, always on display. She couldn’t handle being that way in her home or in her relationships. Perhaps it had ruined her, but her stay with friends taught her to yearn for that close comfort of people who truly cared, just for the sake of caring. She wanted to be around real people who made real mistakes and tried their very best to correct them, rather than those who closed themselves off to even the possibility of a mistake. It’s easy to avoid making a mistake when you never say anything worth saying in the first place. 

Mercy was just too perfect, too agreeable, too polished, too much like Lillian. She was everything that Lillian had punished Lena for failing to live up to. She would fit right in with the Luthor family and they would all get along like peas in a pod. This is what scared Lena the most. The only person she had ever heard Mercy express a negative opinion of was Morgan Edge, whom she appeared to thoroughly detest, yet he was just as enamored with her as the rest. 

Rhea saw either more or less in Mercy’s plotting than Lena did, and certainly nothing to incite distrust of her. The matriarch couldn’t imagine a woman more perfect, more desirable than Mercy Graves. She was genuinely hoping for Mercy and Lena to find their way to one another. She was already looking forward to the extravagant wedding Lillian would put on to cement the union.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so excited to bring Sam back! Sam is one of my favorite characters from canon and I've always been really disappointed that we didn't get to see her much after S4. I wish I could've given even more time to her in this fic, but I think you'll like where she ends up. Anywayyyyy....obligatory Tumblr plug here: check out my account [bluespruce25 ](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bluespruce25) for more Supercorp.


	18. News From the Home Front

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena receives a shocking update from Siobhan and an unexpected visit from Alex.

It was mid-October and Lena had been in National City for well over a month already. It had been far too long since her last update from Hoboken. The updates she got from Siobhan were neither sufficient nor frequent, and it had been weeks since Siobhan had sent her anything at all. All Lena really knew was that James was recovering fast, but still had a lot of appointments. Everyone else was back in the swing of autumn, the excitement of the summer months having given way to the dreary fall. Lena often found her thoughts going out to the rag tag group as she sat alone in her lab in the early morning hours. She thought about texting them or bringing back their group chat from the summer that had fallen silent after she left, but she knew they wouldn’t want to hear from her anyway. She had been the only one to glean any kind of benefit from her stay there and the brief taste of normalcy it provided. There wasn’t anything interesting she could give them, especially from the other side of the country. James had been pretty clear about his feelings towards her in his conversation with Kara at the hot dog cart. 

That’s why Lena was shocked to see a dinner meeting with Director Danvers on her calendar late one afternoon. _"Alex must be in National City!"_ Lena thought. Lena forced herself to get her excitement under control and was glad that she was alone in her lab when she had discovered it, sure that the flurry of emotions that had just crossed her face wouldn’t have gone unnoticed had it been in front of her family. Still, it wasn’t long until Lex came down to ask her about the appointment. Lena was glad for the extra help when Lex offered to share his administrative staff to keep Lena organized as she picked up additional duties, but the downside was his constant surveillance of her calendar. It had added an extra level of complexity to her duplicity, but it wasn’t anything she hadn’t foreseen and planned for from the start. After this was all done and her company was destroyed, maybe Lena could get a job with Alex working with Winn on corporate espionage. 

“What’s this I heard about dinner with Director Danvers tonight?” Lex probed, smirking at her while he fiddled with her finely tuned instruments, something he knew drove her up a wall. “The same Director Danvers from the DoD who is the current occupant of one Luthor Tower in Metropolis? What could she be doing _here_ and meeting with _you_ , I wonder?”

“She and I became friends over the summer. She’s quite an interesting woman in her own right.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t try to get on my calendar, though it’s just as well. I have dinner with General Lane tonight and will be quite busy all week." Lex said as he fiddled with the loose items on her lab bench, much to Lena's ire, "It’s good that she reached out to you first, that way we don’t have to worry about shuffling things around quite so much.”

Lena just laughed Lex off and stroked his ego sufficiently for him to leave her alone. Lex was amazingly smart and cruelly brilliant, but he was a proud and vain man. Lena had almost a lifetime of experience in navigating Lex’s ego with minimal scarring. 

Lena went back to her calendar to confirm the dinner and gathered up her work so she could get home to change before meeting Alex. 

\---

On her way home in the company car, Lena sat in the back thinking about what to wear when she got an email notification. Opening it up, she was shocked to see a novel-length email from Siobhan.

_ Dear Lena, _

_ Sorry for not writing much these last few weeks. Winn thinks I am a terrible sister for never writing, so I’m just gonna write everything that’s been going on all at once. Winn mentioned that Alex is headed to National City next week and I don’t want you to have to badger her for all these details, not that there is much to say. I know National City is way cooler than Metropolis and that you have enough on your plate that you probably haven’t had time to even think about us in little ole Hoboken, but I guess I’ll tell you about what we’ve been up to anyway. This fall has been pretty boring after the excitement of summer. There are no more get togethers or weekend cook-outs anymore, not since everything with James anyway. I’m actually kind of enjoying the peace and quiet of it all. The weather here has been horrible! It hasn’t stopped raining in days and everything is varying shades of murky gray. I’m honestly almost jealous of the eternally sunny weather in National City, though I don’t think it would agree much with my pale complexion. The roommates are all swamped with end of year deadlines and the only person I’ve had a chance to hang out with at all is Imra who is on leave again after a two week assignment in Azerbaijan. In fact, I could do with a little less Imra in my life. I like having the house to myself during the days. How am I supposed to study my lines for auditions when she is watching the Office like it’s going out of style? Azerbaijan was Imra’s last assignment and her and Mon-El are closer than ever. I can’t say I approve, but no one really cares what I think on the subject. We are having everyone over to celebrate her promotion becoming official and the end of James’ recovery this weekend. I’ll let you know how it goes! How are things going with Mercy? Is she still ogling you from across the room like she did at the shore? I hope that I get the chance to meet her someday, maybe next time you’re both in Metropolis we could get together for drinks. I saw a picture of Lillian and Morgan the other day, is he still in National City? Are they together? I mean, she could do so much better. He’s so...gross. I wish Alex had mentioned that she was planning to go to National City sooner, I might’ve been able to convince Winn that we should all go together, but then we’d miss the dinner this weekend. Anyway, Winn and I send our love! _

_ Your sister from another mister, _

_ Siobhan _

_ P.S. Ugh I have a cold. This is the worst, but I love you! _

_ P.P.S. Okay, so maybe I forgot to send this and it’s been sitting in my drafts for days, but what can you do. The good news is that I can tell you all about the party this weekend. Holy shit was it dramatic. This is gonna blow your socks off, I can’t believe how good I am to have typed this all out so you have the added suspense instead of just calling you immediately. Oooo it’s gonna be so good! Okay, so, we had the joint party this weekend and we invited everyone from this summer and it was going to be J’onn and M’gann and Lucy then everyone from the house. So everyone gets here and we’re all getting them settled in and getting them drinks when James reaches out to take Lucy’s coat and KISSES HER! Lena I swear to god you could’ve heard a pin drop, the whole room was silent. I mean everyone thought he and Kara were a thing, even though she hadn’t been around in a few weeks since everything happened at the shore, something about a bunch of crazy work assignments. Then Lucy shows up and BOOM they are clearly head over heels. He didn’t let go of her hand the whole night, it would’ve been disgusting if it weren’t so darn cute. We had no idea! I have to say though, after watching them together all night,  _ _ the whole  _ _ house is behind it. Not that we took a formal vote or anything, but I can just tell. Mon-El and Imra have already scheduled a double date with them and I know Winn and I approve of it. J’onn and M’gann mentioned to me that they really like James too. Winn is a little worried about how Kara will take it since she’s been away for a few weeks and he doesn’t want her to be hurt. Winn and Kara became fast friends and I think he’s scared that she’ll stop coming around if it hurts too much to see James and Lucy together. Personally, I think he’s being ridiculous, but then I never really thought there was much between them to begin with. God and we all thought Lucy had the hots for you! I told Winn not to make a bet with Alex, but here we are. I think James has finally met his match, I mean Lucy is a total badass GI Jane type. She’ll eat him alive! Okay, eww, but you know what I mean. Okay, finally sending this now before someone spoils the surprise! Have fun!” _

\---

Siobhan didn’t have to worry about Alex ruining the surprise, because Lena was so surprised that she missed it when the car came to a stop outside her building and the chauffeur opened the door for her. It wasn’t until he cleared his throat loudly that Lena got herself together. Lena couldn’t focus as she slid off her heels and walked into her bedroom, letting her hair down and changing out of her rigid corporate outfit. She opened her closet and stared at it blankly for several minutes before closing the door and sitting on the edge of her bed unseeing. " _ Lucy and James. Lucy and James? Lucy and James!"  _ On the one hand, Lena could hardly believe it, they were so different, on the other hand she could kind of see how they could fit together. Lucy was thoughtful in a way that balanced out James' propensity to rush into things. She was soft where he was tough, but she was also, as Siobhan put it, a badass. He wouldn’t be able to steamroll her. Her thoughtfulness was not the same as submissiveness. She would be able to hold her ground and provide a buffer for his overly emotional reactions. The more Lena thought about it, the more it all seemed to make sense. 

Thoughtlessly buttoning up a simple striped, black, silk, collared shirt, Lena’s thoughts turned to Kara. Winn was right to worry about Kara being hurt, she had such a soft heart despite everything she’d been through. Lena hated the idea of Kara losing someone else she cared about. Maybe she had broken things off with James? James cared too much about his sense of duty and honor to go behind Kara’s back, Lena was sure of that. James wouldn’t do anything to hurt Kara like that, but then again, you can’t always control your heart. Lena knew this better than most. 

God, James and Lucy! The high-strung, impetuous, honorable James Olsen and the reasonable, calm, reserved, glass-ceiling shattering Lucy Lane. It just made no sense to Lena at first look, even if she could understand how opposites attract, she couldn’t quite see the attraction between them, but the more she thought about it, the more it did make sense. She realized that James had spent the first few weeks of his recovery at the DEO and then had naturally gone back frequently for check ups in the weeks following. Plus, with his work with the DEO as Guardian, he was probably there for non-medical reasons often enough. It was natural that, while Alex led the Metropolis office and Lucy was just visiting, it left Lucy with more than enough time on her hands to spend with James while he recovered. Lucy would thrive in the caretaker roll, Lena realized, and would relish the feeling of someone needing her after everything with her family. Likewise, James would relish being taken care of despite his strong, hypermasculine bravado. Lucy would be forceful in her kindness. She would force him to drop the act and to submit to her kindness. The attraction was a no brainer, they were both objectively attractive. It didn’t surprise Lena that James would have a thing for women who were smaller in stature given his broad shoulders and height. Any man who spends that much time caring for his biceps can appreciate a partner who is going to compliment their aesthetic. 

Lena secretly suspected that the first time Kara beat James in an arm wrestling contest would have been the end of their relationship anyway. Lena shook her head, she wasn’t giving James enough credit. He hadn’t shown any issue with powerful women, despite being surrounded by them at the shore. He didn’t actually seem to have a misogynist streak and was supportive of Kara and her role as Supergirl. Just because he was a man, didn’t mean he had a complex about it, Lena mused. That said, she still came to the conclusion that James and Lucy were, in fact, a much better pairing than James and Kara. Lena was sure that James was, even now, learning the difference between a pawn and a bishop and Lucy was learning about the difference between aperture and exposure in photography. She was amused by the idea of Budweiser-loving James memorizing the names of the squares on a chessboard. James's near-death experience at the shore might now have an impact on every area of his life, almost as if it was fate. 

Well, Lena concluded, if someone Kara loved came to love another, it wasn’t anything remarkable in of itself. If Kara didn’t lose a friend over it, there was nothing to regret on either side. No, it wasn’t regret that Lena was feeling at that moment. Thinking of Kara as single and free to pursue anyone she may choose made Lena feel something, but it wasn’t regret. It was too similar to relief and hope. Damned hope!

\---

Lena snapped out of it in time to make it to dinner with Alex. It was clear from the pleasant dinner they had together that Alex either didn’t know about the reversal of fortunes, or simply didn’t think it warranted mentioning. Lena offered her guest room to Alex, but apparently the DEO had already put her up in a swanky hotel downtown. Still, Lena called the hotel on the way home and had Alex upgraded to the usual Luthor suite, anonymously, of course. 

Lena had been worried about Alex knowing anyone in National City, but thanks to J’onn and M’gann, Alex had plenty of people with whom to spend her time. Lena was often invited to spend time with the three of them while Alex was in town. It turned out that Alex was planning to be there for at least a month while they worked on a new initiative together. With the recent move to Metropolis and everything with James, ALex hadn’t had the chance to offboard all of her duties in National City before she left.

Lena liked to observe the way J’onn and M’gann interacted with each other, the sheer love they exuded in every interaction. Lena liked to think she could almost guess what they were discussing when they whispered to each other during movie nights or when they threw their heads back laughing over a simmering pot of marinara sauce making dinner for the group. One day, Lena was eating lunch in the park by herself when she came across Alex sitting on a bench near her usual spot, the same spot she had shared with Kara in the very beginning, all those years ago. She cursed her sentimental self the first time she looked up to find herself standing absentmindedly in front of their bench having gotten lost in her thoughts. After the third time, she just gave in and started going there intentionally. It was the only place in National City where she actually felt at peace. Today, she was distracted by the way Alex was feeding the ducks in the pond, lost in thought. Lena had to gently tap the Director on the shoulder after repeating her name a few times didn’t work to rouse her from her thoughts. When she finally came to, it was with an instant warmth, “Lena! Fancy meeting you here. Are you here on break? You caught me. I love coming here to sit with the ducks. They remind me of the gulls in Midvale. Did you know that we grew up not too far from here? Just a little ways up the coast on the water. I've always thought birds are just so funny. They are so innocent and naive, yet they are crafty little guys when there’s food involved.” Alex chuckled to herself, “kinda reminds me of Kara.” Lena laughed openly at the fitting joke. “Well, anyway, I’m done with my feed,” Alex said holding up the empty bag before tossing it in the trash can next to her. “Where are you headed? Shall we walk together awhile?”

“Sure, if it’s no trouble. I just finished eating and was going to go for a short walk anyway before heading back to the office. Join me?”

“It would be my pleasure. I just heard the craziest story, I think you’ll agree it’s hysterical,” Alex said with a smile. 

“Oh really? Is that so?” Lena feigned ignorance, wondering if Alex was going with the conversation where Lena wanted to be going. 

Just as Alex opened her mouth to begin she got cut off by the sound of her phone alerting her to an incoming call, “Director Danvers. What happened? Is the threat contained? Any casualties or injuries? Okay, make sure they get checked out in the med bay and take the next two days off before going back out in the field. Anything else while you have me? Excellent. Keep me updated with the interrogation efforts. Thanks.”

Lena waited a few seconds for Alex to collect her thoughts before she ventured to bring up the story Alex mentioned. “So you had a crazy story for me?” Lena prompted. Alex smiled, but then they heard a buzz and Alex held up her finger to Lena to wait for a moment while she shot off a quick reply to the text. Eventually they reached a more secluded part of the park and just when Lena was considering throwing the agent’s phone into the pond to their left, Alex spoke up.

“Okay right, so the crazy story. So when you left you thought James and Kara were totally a thing right?” Alex paused looking expectantly at Lena who responded, “Yes, I think that was the consensus.” Alex continued, satisfied with the response, “Okay so Kara was totally going for it, I mean she takes things slow generally, but she obviously really liked him, but they still weren’t like official-official, ya know? And it didn’t really make any sense, but Kara can be kind of oblivious sometimes, especially when it comes to flirting. Well anyway, then James got hurt and obviously they couldn’t really do anything until he was better. But then Kara got  _ ‘called away’ _ on all of these  _ ‘assignments’ _ for Snapper, which I mean could be real, but I don’t know. She can cross the country in fifteen minutes if she wants to, there’s not a lot that can keep her from being somewhere when she wants to be, ya know? Well anyway, she’s been flying all over the country, no pun intended, covering these human interest stories for Snapper and hasn’t been in Metropolis since. She hasn’t really even been here in National City besides her usual Supergirl duties, but even then it’s usually J’onn in disguise pretending to be Supergirl to keep up the ruse. But _now_! Now we find out that James is dating Lucy! I mean talk about moving on quick, but honestly, they’re really adorable together, so I can’t really be mad. And Kara’s my sister, but Lucy is our friend and she’s had such a hard time after Russel. I’m glad that she has James. I’m just, wow, it was so unexpected you know?”

“Really? Well I have to say, I really liked Lucy from what little I got to know her at the shore. They seem like a good fit together. They’re both strong stoic types I think.” Lena replied. 

“Oh for sure! Like I said, I love Lucy and I’m really glad that she’s happy with James, it was just so unexpected! I mean Lucy is just so... morose, sometimes you know? It works well on our team with J’onn, but in a relationship with James, I’m surprised. He is just such an upbeat guy I guess. I know I’m biased, but Kara is a catch. I can’t imagine having the option to date Supergirl and choosing literally anyone else instead. Then again, I personally would love it if Kara never dated anyone else ever again because, ewww.”

Lena was speechless, she was completely caught. It was a trap expertly designed for her specific situation. There was nothing she could say in response that wouldn’t be taken to mean something more than she wanted to give at that moment. Luckily, Alex appeared to be on a roll with her ramble, relieving Lena of the need to respond.

“And I promise I’m not just gossiping, this is straight from the horse’s mouth. I had breakfast with Kara this morning before she flitted off to god knows where and she had just gotten a million texts from Winn about something that happened this weekend. Apparently, Lucy and James showed up at a dinner party together and were inseparable the whole night.”

Lena gathered all the courage she could muster for the next bit, “I hope that Kara isn’t too broken up over it. As you said, it seemed like there was something there between Kara and James. I hope everything was resolved amicably on that front before James and Lucy got together and that she’s not upset about the way it worked out.”

“Who, Kara? No, she actually was really excited for them. God, she’s such a puppy. She loves a good love story, even if she’s not in the starring role.”

Lena looked down to hide the smirk on her lips and Alex continued,  “No, Kara would never make a fuss over something like this. She’s seen too much in life to be thrown by something so trivial. If James likes Lucy more, then they should be together. Kara knows that.”

“Oh of course. I guess I just want to make sure that Kara and Lucy are still okay. I know they have a good friendship and have been through a lot together. I wouldn’t want Kara to be upset with Lucy for swooping in to s _teal her man_ so to speak. They’re so close, I would hate for this to come between them.”

“Oh, yeah I know what you mean, but no. Kara was really happy for them and especially for Lucy. Kara was really there for her after everything with Russell, and I think she’s just glad that Lucy has someone to find joy with again. No, the way she talked about it, you wouldn’t have even guessed that she thought of James as anything more than a friend this whole time. With Kara, that’s actually shockingly possible. I mean, I  _ think _ she at least knew that there was a ‘could’ve been something maybe’ but it was never more than that. Either way, I think she’s just happy for her friends.” 

Lena couldn’t be so sure, but she trusted that Alex knew Kara better than anyone. It would’ve been weird to keep pressing the point so she just changed the subject to the DoD-LuthorCorp partnership and Alex’s work in National City. As they approached the new LuthorCorp building, Alex sighed, “I just hope she finds someone, ya know? I wish she would come back and stay here long enough to actually meet someone. She deserves so much love from this world. She’s given so much of herself and sacrificed so much. She deserves everything. We’ve got to get her back here for a while, don’t you think? For her own sake?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all I loved writing this chapter. In my mind, this is when the story really starts picking up. Only seven chapters left! You never know, maybe tomorrow's chapter will feature Lena running into Kara for the first time since that day at the shore. Maybe....
> 
> In the meantime, check out my Tumblr [ bluespruce25](https://tumblr.com/blog/bluespruce25) for more Supercorp content.


	19. Brick Wall, Waterfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena sees Kara for the first time since the shore - ft. a brief guest appearance from one of my favorite characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize I am dating myself a bit with the chapter title on this one, but once it was in my brain there was no going back.

While Alex was plotting with Lena on ways to get Kara to become more active in the National City social scene, Kara was already back at her apartment getting back into the groove of daily life in National City and planning the next game night for everyone. It didn’t take long for Kara and Lena to run into one another at a LuthorCorp press conference. Lex was standing with Lena, Mercy, and a smiling Morgan Edge answering questions and chatting with investors after the event. At just that moment, Lex saw General Lane walking through the lobby and excused himself to see if he could convince him to get lunch with them to discuss an upcoming contract opportunity he had caught wind of. 

Their reservation had originally been for the four of them and could, therefore, only accommodate two Luthor representatives in addition to the general and his staffer. Obviously Lex would be the most important attendee, but it took some debate to determine who would accompany him. They went back and forth about the propriety of Lena or Mercy joining them as executives of the company, but in the end Mercy rightly argued that the General would be more comfortable with the “boy’s club” than he would be with a powerful woman at the table. They had settled on letting Lex and Morgan go and the men were headed off to get their coats when Lena heard a voice she would know anywhere coming from a group by the conference room doors. Sure enough, when the group shuffled and adjusted, Lena could see Kara Danvers on the other side interviewing the attendees with an open but determined expression gracing her strong features. 

Lena bowed her head and glanced at Mercy, making sure that the older woman hadn’t noticed the way Lena reacted to seeing Kara. She tried to hide her blush and chided herself for her body’s reaction to Kara after all this time. She had thought that she was over the schoolgirl reactions to being in Kara’s presence after so much time together in Hoboken and at the shore, but apparently not. When Mercy cleared her throat next to her, Lena realized that she had completely tuned out of their conversation. Mercy was dragging her into a new group of investors, keen to capitalize on the presence of the prettiest Luthor while she had the chance. 

Lena had the sudden urge to excuse herself. No one would suspect her if she ran to the ladies room, conveniently located just beyond the spot she had seen Kara engaged with attendees. Kara would, of course, have moved on by then and Lena really could use an opportunity to freshen up. Lena found herself speaking the words out loud, excusing herself to a group of bemused men. She was just going to freshen up quickly, then she'd get back to the crucial networking which was starting to consume an annoying amount of her time. Time she would rather have spent in her lab doing good for the world and keeping an eye on Lex. 

Lena hadn’t gone two steps before she collided with what felt like a moving brick wall. If the force of the impact hadn’t knocked the wind out of her, Kara’s arm wrapped gently around her back holding her upright would have. Lena watched as the realization dawned on Kara’s face, as her eyes grew wide and a blush appeared high on her cheeks suddenly. Her free hand, still clutching her reporters’ pad, moved up to adjust her glasses as she took a rapid step back and excused herself profusely, fussing over Lena as if concerned that she had done physical harm to the woman. Lena smirked, glad for once, to be the one more in control of her emotions. Lena had the advantage of having already seen Kara and of, somewhat intentionally, having put herself in the proximity of the blonde. Kara, on the other hand, was clearly blindsided at having found Lena in her arms so suddenly. Lena felt her heart skip a beat and could tell from the way Kara angled her head that the Kryptonian had heard the murmur. It was, therefore, Lena’s turn to blush feverishly. 

Lena looked down and smoothed her dress, more out of habit than because of any wrinkles, when Kara spoke to her. Kara was clearly embarrassed and was apologizing again for running into her. After a moment, Lena took control of the situation, worried that if they continued in this fashion people would start to notice. She asked after Alex and J’onn and Kara asked after Lena’s work and recent projects. It was sad, Lena thought, that Lena’s first thought for Kara was for her family and Kara’s first thought for Lena was her work. Throughout the stilted exchange, Lena couldn’t help but reflect on how different they were acting towards one another than they had all summer. Something had obviously changed for Kara. Maybe it was the time that had passed since they last saw one another, or everything that happened with James. Maybe, Lena mused darkly, it was the shock of seeing Lena in a professional setting, in full Luthor mode. Whatever the reason, they were clearly not on the same terms they had left off on before everything happened at the shore. Lena wasn’t really following much of what Kara was saying but recognized that she was talking about the Hoboken house, of James even. It was clear that Kara recognized that speaking of James held some kind of significance, but it wasn’t quite as if Kara did it as just his friend. There was a lingering discomfort, maybe sadness, that Lena couldn’t quite place in the conversation. It looked wholly out of place on a face born to express uninhibited joy. 

Lena felt her whole body tense as a kiss was unexpectedly pressed to her cheek by a scratchy-cheeked intruder. Quickly recovering, she turned to see Lex leaving with Morgan in tow. Lena stopped herself from scoffing at the sight of him in his calf-length camel hair coat with a pretentious scarf draped over his shoulders. Morgan was dressed similarly in a gray wool double breasted coat. Lena felt a pang in her heart realizing that not only did Lex not recognize Kara, but he failed to even register her presence next to his sister. He was completely ignorant of the fact that he had interrupted a conversation, that there was anyone besides Lena standing there watching him leave. 

Kara watched them walk out with an indiscernible expression on her face before turning back to look at Lena. “Can I get your coat for you?” Lena’s eyebrows lifted in confusion. “Aren’t you accompanying them to lunch with General Lane?” Lena realized that Kara had overheard the whole exchange earlier, except, apparently, the part where they decided Morgan would go instead of Lena. “Oh no, that’s okay. I am staying here to rub elbows for a while longer with Mercy before I head back to the lab. I’d rather be there anyway.” Kara looked perturbed by this for some reason. “Okay, but you _are_ getting lunch, right?” Lena waved her off, “Oh, I’m sure I have something back at the lab to snack on. It’s no trouble.”

Kara crossed her arms and regarded Lena with a skeptical face, head tilted to the side. “We’re getting lunch. My treat. Can’t have you skipping meals.”

“No, Kara, I couldn’t possibly. I have to ride back with Mercy and have so much work to catch up on. Thank you though, that is very kind of you.” Lena looked down to find that her hand was somehow resting on Kara's forearm, though she had no recollection of having placed it there. 

Lena had barely gotten the words out when she felt Mercy at her side and an arm suddenly looped through hers. Kara clearly recognized the woman from the shore, even recognized the appraising look the older woman gave Lena as she walked up, unbeknownst to Lena. Mercy apologized for taking so long and suggested they leave soon before the post-conference rush hit the garage. In another moment, they were in their coats and headed to the elevator for the garage level. Lena barely had time to wish Kara goodbye before she was ushered away. 

\---

As soon as the elevator doors closed behind Lena and Mercy, Cat walked up next to Kara, playing with her glass in her hands, “Well they seemed awfully cozy, didn’t they? You know, I always knew that Mercy had a thing for the gentler sex after Maxwell Lord’s birthday party in 2008, but little Luthor! I would never have guessed. Good for Mercy being back in the family’s good graces. I hear they’re always together now. Attached at the hip.” Cat popped the "P" and ran her tongue along her top lip, clearly lost in a memory. “Mercy’s still got it, I have to say. I wonder if she can still flirt like she did back then. She was always a bit... incorrigible. Luthor’s obviously come into her own as well. She’s certainly...matured...since she was here a few years ago. I shouldn’t be so surprised that she caught Mercy’s eye with a figure like that. We can’t forget her mind though, wouldn't want to objectify her for her body.” Cat grinned. “I’ve heard she’s quite brilliant in her own right, smarter than Lex even. Everyone thinks Lex is the golden child of the Luthor Empire, but, mark my words, Lena Luthor will do big things.”

Lena would have been over the moon if Mercy would have let her enjoy the short ride back to LuthorCorp in peace and quiet, but alas Mercy was in a particularly loquacious mood that day. Lena was having a hard time keeping up, just barely managing the appropriate hmms and mhms as they made their way back through the city. It wasn’t Mercy’s fault, Lena thought. Mercy was speaking about projects and contracts which Lena oversaw personally and was usually extremely passionate about. Lena couldn’t get anything to stick in her mind besides Kara’s ice blue eyes and the way they looked contrasted against flushed cheeks after Kara had run into her. Lena couldn’t understand Kara’s reaction, whether she was hurting after everything with James, and until she understood, Lena’s mind was off in its own world entirely.

\---

Lena considered herself to be a smart and reasonable person. She was skilled in deduction and strategy. She was a keen problem solver and a master of many disciplines. Still, she couldn’t unravel the mystery before her. Lena had to figure out how much they would be running into each other now that LuthorCorp had officially made the move. Lena and Cat ran in the same circles and LuthorCorp and CatCo were only a few blocks away from one another. It was inevitable that they would be seeing each other, that Rhea would run into her. Would Rhea remember Kara just from Lena’s description all those years ago? Now Lena had a new worry to occupy her brain while she mindlessly coded her next ground-breaking project. 

The next day Lena and Rhea were at a coffee shop someone had recommended down the street from LuthorCorp. _"Noonans,"_ Lena recalled, when Lena’s worst fears came true. Lena was waiting for Rhea’s tea to steep before the posh woman could add her cream and sugar when none other than Kara walked through the front door, head buried in her phone. Kara continued staring at her phone, finding a place in line, while Rhea continued talking to Lena and stirring her tea, none the wiser. Lena kept stealing glances both at Rhea and at Kara wondering if either would notice the other, and if so, who would get there first. Rhea paused what she was saying and looked over towards the other side of the store, brow furrowed. Lena held her breath as Rhea continued to stir her tea absentmindedly. Finally, Rhea moved to put in the accoutrements and throw away the trash she had accumulated before they moved toward the exit. Lena didn’t release her breath until they were safely outside and waiting on the corner to cross the street back towards LuthorCorp. Finally, Rhea spoke up. “Sorry I got lost in my thoughts back there,” she said. “I was just trying to remember the name of this tea I had one time in a fancy tea shop on my way to a yoga retreat in Asheville, North Carolina of all places. It was something green, but it was very refreshing. They were so intense about the whole thing with timers and special teapots for every variety. It was unexpected to say the least. I actually rather enjoyed it.” Lena smiled to herself as she took a sip of her hot black coffee. She refrained from rolling her eyes at Rhea’s antics, but just barely. Mostly, Lena was just kicking herself for having been so worried about Rhea seeing Kara, that Lena had missed whether Kara saw them. 

Lena had a few more weeks without seeing Kara, despite the number of galas and charity events she was forced to attend on behalf of the Luthors. The truth is, while Cat and Lena ran in similar circles, Lena and Kara did not. Lena was getting burnt-out from burning the candle at both ends, devoted to her lab and refusing to let her increasingly busy social calendar impede her progress on her pet projects. In her own head, Lena surmised that she had overcome a momentary lapse in self control at the press-conference due to the surprise of it all. She was confident that she could now interact with Kara without any awkwardness should they meet again. After all, they had done just fine together all summer. 

In fact, Lena planned to put it to the test. She was sure that they would meet again at an upcoming charity concert. The United States Army Band was putting on an elegant sampling of Tchaikovsky’s lesser known works at the opera house and the whole Luthor family was planning to attend, as cosponsors of the event. General Lane was there to represent the military, of course. As such, they really had no choice but to attend. It was expected to be the social event of the year, and Kara was a reporter after all. Lena hoped that she could catch the blonde’s eye or share a few moments of polite conversation, perhaps provide a statement for CatCo even. She felt oddly compelled to test her composure. Lena felt that she owed the reporter at least a warm hello, as her friend. They were definitely friends now, after everything. She was supposed to spend the evening with Sam and Ruby watching the concert live on TV, but she had to shoot off a quick text with her apologies earlier in the day promising to give them all the celebrity gossip fresh the next morning. Sam was more than happy to let her off the hook, as long as Lena promised to bring donuts. 

**SA:** “Oh sure, ditch us for the Hollywood elite. I see how it is.”

**LL:** “You know it’s not like that.”

**SA:** “Oh I know, but it’s fun to tease you.”

**SA:** “Who all is going to be there, give me the deets.”

**LL:** “Lillian, Lex, Mercy, Morgan, and myself. I’ve heard Beyonce might make a surprise appearance too.”

**SA:** “Lena, you can’t joke about Bey. She’s a goddess.”

**SA:** “Well I hope you have fun. I can’t wait to hear about how things go with Mercy.”

**LL:** “What’s that supposed to mean?”

**LL:** “Sam?”

**LL:** “SAM?!”

**LL:** “Ugh you’re the worst. Give Ruby a kiss for me.”

**SA:** “Don’t forget the donuts :)”

Lena was utterly confused by their text exchange, but was soon caught up in a _literal_ fire in the next lab over. A typical Saturday afternoon if there ever was one. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this mini meet-cute. It's almost like Lena is *falling* for Kara all over again. Beh dum tssss. If you're here for the Kara/Lena angst, you've got one heck of a chapter coming to you tomorrow. In the meantime, check out my Tumblr [ bluespruce25 ](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bluespruce25)for more Supercorp angst and content from other great creators in the fandom.


	20. None But The Lonely Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena attends a charity concert and has a heart to heart with Kara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title borrowed from one of Tchaikovsky's best pieces. I chose Tchaikovsky because he's my favorite composer, but I also think it's fun because Katie McGrath is a big fan of Russian literature and history in real life. Consider it my ode to Lena's lonely heart.

The three Luthors and Morgan Edge were the first ones of their inner circle to arrive at the concert. General Lane would be joining them closer to the start of the concert and they planned to use the time until his arrival as a strategic networking opportunity. Most of the attendees were either clients, potential clients, or competitors. It appeared that Kara had the same idea because just as Lex was returning with their drinks, Lena turned to find Kara coming up the dark carpeted stairs onto the balcony where the bar was situated. Kara met Lena’s eyes but was clearly planning to walk past her without a word when Lena stopped her in her tracks. “Ms. Danvers, nice to see you here. Are you here tonight on behalf of CatCo?” At this Kara’s face rippled through feelings of determination, surprise, and warm professionalism in turn. Kara came over toward Lena and discussed CatCo’s interest in the evening. Lena was aware from the prickling on the back of her neck that Lex and Lillian were watching them like hawks, but she was lucky enough to have her back to them so she couldn’t see their expressions and was, therefore, wholly engrossed in her conversation with Kara. Lena managed to just overhear the words “reporter” and “Cat Grant” before she watched as Kara strode past her to take Lex’s outstretched hand. “Mr. Luthor, Mrs. Luthor, a pleasure to meet you both. I hope you have enjoyed your time in National City thus far.” “Indeed Ms. Danvers. Thank you for asking. Please give my best to Cat next time you see her.” “Of course. Enjoy your evening.” Lena couldn’t help but reflect on the exchange and feel pleased that Kara had met her family with no suspicion or hatred evident on either side. It wasn’t much, but it was something. 

The two young women continued to chat as Lena walked Kara to the bar to order a drink. They discussed the weather, the best restaurants in National City, expressed anticipation for the concert, but soon the conversation grew stilted. Lena was surprised that Kara chose to stick around despite the awkward silence. In fact the blonde didn’t seem to mind it one bit, taking the time to survey the crowd and sip her cranberry and sprite. Lena was reflecting on how comfortable the quiet was when Kara said suddenly with a shy smile, “I’ve barely seen you since everything happened at the shore. I’m sorry about all of that. I know that it was a lot.”

“It’s fine, Kara, really. I’m just glad that everyone is okay now.” Lena risked a small touch to Kara’s elbow as a comfort. Whether the comfort was meant for her or the blonde, she couldn’t quite say. 

“What an awful day. God, I was so scared.” Kara said, bowing her head and adjusting her glasses. Lena noted that Kara’s eyes were misting as she looked back up.

“You’re right though, of course. It all ended up okay. Better than okay, really. I’m so happy for Lucy and James. They both deserve all the happiness this world can provide. I hope they find it in each other.”

Lena chuckled at this, somewhat relieved, “I wouldn’t have guessed it, but I do think they’ll be happy. They balance each other out, I think. They’re both good people, and that’s a good foundation to start from.”

Kara looked out the beautiful five-story, floor to ceiling windows, onto the plaza below. “That’s true they are good people, though it sometimes seems like all they have in common. I mean they are both stubborn and driven in their pursuit for justice. I just hope that they're happy together, that it’s enough for them. Everyone loves them. Our friends are all so happy that they got together. Winn won’t stop mooning over them. I don’t know, with everything they went through together and everyone in their corner, I have to think they’ll make each other happy.”

Kara stopped suddenly, remembering herself, remembering to whom she was speaking. Lena blushed at the obvious subtext in the conversation. Still, Kara soldiered on, “If I’m being honest, I do wonder though, how they'll do in the future.” Kara sighed, obviously trying to untangle complicated feelings about her friends. 

“They are both so noble and honorable, but the way they go about it is completely different. James is kind and believes so strongly in a sense of justice, but he is headstrong and always has to be in the thick of it. He jumps into danger, even when there is no reason to, just to enjoy the thrill of it. You saw that first hand at the shore. There was no reason for him to put himself at risk like that, not when I was there and could have handled the situation safely. Lucy, on the other hand, is a master strategist and tactician. She plans and she plots, and she is always four steps ahead of her mark. She is calm under pressure and makes smart, decisive choices that define her leadership. She is used to having a team to be responsible for, and takes that responsibility seriously. She never acts rashly, knowing that _her team_ are the ones in danger if she does. James is used to it being him and Superman. He throws himself into things because he thinks Superman will save him no matter what, but that’s not how it works.”

Kara took a deep breath before she continued, “I think they can balance each other out, I just wouldn’t have guessed it if I hadn’t watched it unfold right in front of me. I can’t believe that Lucy would finally get over her grief for Russell for James of all people. I mean, I have a hard time believing she would love someone who puts himself in harm's way _intentionally_ after having barely survived losing the man she loved once already. Maybe that’s the necessary dynamic though. Maybe every hero who fights with their brain needs a hero who fights with their heart and vice versa. I mean that’s how it is with Alex and I. I don't know, maybe that’s why I can’t understand why James did what he did, because _I'm_ usually the one running off into danger without a thought to whether or not I’ll succeed. Then again, one time during an... _altercation_...at the... _DoD_...here in National City, Alex took a... _leap of faith_...right in the middle of the... _disagreement_. I wasn’t even there. I was at CatCo when I got the call. She took the leap anyway, knowing I would catch her, _metaphorically of course_." Kara paused to look at Lena, to see if the brunette was still following along with the poorly veiled story before continuing, "I have never been more scared or angry in my entire life. If I had been just one second later or if I had decided to ignore the... _call..._ thinking they had it handled, Alex would be dead. James almost _was_. I have no interest in that kind of trust. I can’t be responsible for something happening to them because I failed. I just can’t.” 

Kara was deep in thought then. She stopped talking, but Lena could see as the gears continued to move behind the scenes. Kara was still staring out the windows, but Lena was staring at Kara. Part of Lena wondered what would happen if she fell off a balcony or was mugged in the street one night. Would Kara save her? After everything the others had said about her and what Kara must think about Lena’s involvement with the Lexosuit, Lena wasn’t so sure she would deserve it if Supergirl did save her. 

Despite the mounting noise as the balcony had filled up while they talked and Kara’s decreasing volume as her thoughts had turned increasingly inward, Lena had caught every word Kara said. The weight of it made her cheeks flush and her mind race. Lena was, for all intents and purposes, struck by what Kara had shared. She couldn’t think that it was her place to comment on it, but wanted to reward Kara’s vulnerability and honesty with something of her own. She couldn’t let the moment pass unanswered, so she brought the conversation back to safe topics, “You were in Metropolis for a while after I left weren’t you?” 

“I stayed for a week or so. I made sure that James was going to have a full recovery, but then I was pulled into some travel assignments for CatCo. I couldn’t leave before knowing that James was going to be okay, though. It was my fault that he jumped in like that. I know he was showing off for me, trying to be the hero. I had encouraged his work as Guardian and I shouldn’t have.”

Lena sighed, “I miss the shore. I hope to go back someday.”

Kara looked at her incredulously, “Really? I guess I’m a little surprised to hear you say that. I wouldn’t have pegged you for a saltwater taffy and hot dog stand kind of woman. Doesn’t that like go against everything it is to be a Luthor?” Kara joked, before turning more serious. She missed completely the look of horror and shame on Lena’s face as she continued, “I just figured the way it all ended would be enough of a reason for you to never want to go back. It was so scary and, I imagine, exhausting for you to go through all of that unexpectedly. I mean you never wanted to be around any of that kind of thing.” Kara didn’t have to expand on what she meant, Lena knew that she was referring to Lena not wanting to be around Kara while Supergirl was off throwing herself into danger. Lena could tell that Kara believed Lena wanted nothing to do with Supergirl. It stung to know that Lena was the one who made Kara believe such a thing in the first place when it was so far from the truth. Lena hated the way Kara must have thought that Lena was just like her brother, like her family, when she wanted nothing more than to bring them down. 

“Well, I have to admit it was a bit of a shock to the system.” Lena replied, “but now that everyone’s okay, I remember the good parts too. Just because something ended poorly, doesn’t mean that we have to remember the whole experience that way. It's possible to keep the painful memories as well as the happy ones. I mean, the whole ordeal was over in an hour and all the time leading up to that was more fun than I had experienced in years. It was just so, _cliche_ , but in the best way. It was like a snapshot of americana and of family bliss. It was peaceful, but in a joyous way. The whole place reminded me of laughter somehow. So yeah, I guess you could say that I really loved it there, even after everything.”

Just as Lena finished this uncharacteristic outpouring with a blush and a rather unladylike gulp of her drink, General Lane walked in amid resounding murmurs of his arrival. Lena was pulled along by Lex, leaving Kara by the bar alone, while the Luthor family intercepted General Lane and walked with him into the sponsors’ box. Mercy had arrived at the same time as General Lane and had joined the party as they walked in. It was a whirlwind of activity and Lena was disappointed to find herself pulled away from Kara so unceremoniously in the midst of what was, undoubtedly, the most interesting conversation she had enjoyed in months. Still, the thoughts of the conversation’s implications kept the shy smile on her face for a long time afterward. Lena finally had at least some pieces of the puzzle she had been assembling in her mind about Kara’s true feelings and her attitude towards the events with James. Lena put on her Luthor mask, but inside she was bubbling over with joy and anticipation of their next meeting. Once the pleasantries with Mercy and the General were out of the way, Lena turned back to find Kara only to see her deep in conversation with another guest, notepad in hand. Lena couldn’t interrupt what was clearly an interview, but that didn’t stop her from willing Kara’s eyes to look up with everything she had. Lena was disappointed as the lights dimmed and she was called back to the box, but she knew that they would find each other again during intermission to continue their discussion. 

As the lights dimmed, Rhea appeared at last in the box, just barely making it in before the doors closed. Lena didn’t miss the way all eyes were directed at them as they situated themselves in their seats. 

Both Lex and Lena were beaming as they walked in. Lex was bowed in deep conversation with Morgan, a smile on both their faces, eyes directed at the back of the dress-uniform clad General Lane in front of them. Lex looked like he was holding the whole world in his hands. Lena just looked radiant. There is no comparing the two, for Lex’s look came from the fulfillment of greed, and Lena’s from the hope of renewed love. 

___

Lena couldn’t focus on anything in the minutes leading up to the concert beyond the look on Kara’s face when she had been discussing James and the shore. Lena, for her part, had never looked more beautiful. Her collarbones and neck flushing gently under her black, scoop-neck dress. Her body was on full display and her eyes were full of fire that had been too long absent. Her wheels were obviously turning beneath her soft, dark hair as she relived the last thirty minutes in her head. She picked apart every glance from Kara, every topic of conversation, every pause and blush. She thought about what Kara had shared about James and his flaws, her wonder at him and Lucy falling in love with one another. The way she had been shy, and vulnerable with her confessions. Was Lena dreaming or had it felt like a confession? Lena couldn’t help but think that maybe Kara was looking at her with a fondness she could remember from a long-ago dream. There was something of the tenderness they had shared in the past. Lena could think of nothing but the possibility that Kara might still love her, or perhaps love her again. Her whole body fizzled with electricity and her skin reacted in goose bumps. 

Lena was absent minded as she moved to take her seat and engaged the others in the box politely, but distractedly. Eventually, breaking herself out of her reverie, she looked around to see if she could see Kara anywhere, but the blonde was nowhere within her line of sight, no doubt seated somewhere up above. 

They took their seats as the orchestra began to play. There were two rows in the box. Lex, Lillian, Morgan, and General Lane took the first row, while Lena, Mercy, and a few other DoD staffers took the second. 

Lena was in the mood to be entertained, riding a high after her conversation with Kara. It was just enough distraction to allow her mind to wander, while still enjoying the overall experience. Tchaikovsky was one of her favorites, after all. All things considered, it was one of the best concerts she had ever attended, at least until intermission. 

During a break between songs, Mercy turned to whisper in her ear, asking about the song they had just listened to. Lena explained the influences of Liszt and Wagner and told Mercy about the unique relationship between Tchaicovsky and his patron, whom he never met in person as a condition of her patronage. Lena went into his life as a homosexual man and his legacy in the music community. “I don’t know much about this particular song, but I find his life and music to be utterly inspiring. I should really learn more about him, he was a fascinating man.”

“Yes, Lena Luthor the absolute _dunce_. How disappointing that you haven’t memorized his entire biography as well as those of Bach, Mozart, and every other notable composer. A travesty really.” Mercy joked. “Seriously, you just supplied his life story, interesting facts, and the antecedents for his composition. You are far more impressive than you give yourself credit for, my dear.”

“You flatter me.” Lena deadpanned in response.

“Listen, I know we haven’t known each other formerly for long, but I have known _of_ you for a very long time. I know that you are too modest for your own good, and I know that you hide your brilliance away in the dark labs beneath goggles and lab coats, but you can’t hide it from me.”

“Oh really, Mercy! Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve had a bit of a headstart in life what with the best education money could buy, private tutors, and being given an executive level job straight out of grad school in my family’s Fortune 50 company, all on a silver platter no less.”

“I’m serious. I’ve been following your career for years, even from before your recent rise to notoriaty.”

“Oh is that so? And just how have you managed that beyond what you might’ve heard from Lex and Lillian?”

“Well let’s just say that I happened to make the acquaintance of someone who knows you quite well and has for some time. Hearing them talk about you so warmly made me curious myself, so I’ve made a point to follow your progress, your successes ever since.”

Mercy was not disappointed in hoping to pique Lena’s interest with what was clearly bait. Mercy couldn’t have known, however, that Lena was not filled with positive feelings of flattery, but rather reservation and suspicion. Lena had been a Luthor long enough to recognize that people only pay attention to those they hope to make use of in the future. If anything betrayed Mercy’s intentions towards her, it was this over the top interest. Still, Lena leaned into the part and questioned Mercy eagerly, pretending to be flattered while raising her guard accordingly. Mercy’s eyes glinted with anticipation, but she was saved from further conversation by the start of the next song. 

Mercy whispered again into Lena’s ear, “Maybe i’ll tell you someday, but I couldn't possibly tell you now. All you need to know is that I met someone years ago who was so impressed by you that they spent hours with me telling me all about you. Obviously, once I heard that, I kept an eye out for any opportunity to find out for myself.”

Lena could not for the life of her figure out who would have said such a thing. Maybe Jack Spheer who had offered her that partnership so many years ago, the last time she was in National City. 

Lena bristled as Mercy interrupted one of her favorite pieces to whisper again, “The name Lena Luthor has always held a certain element of intrigue for me. Your work with LuthorCorp is incredible. Imagine what we could do together. I like you, Lena. I think you know that much by now." Mercy stroked Lena's bare arm lightly as she continued in a hushed voice, "I think we could be great together, a power couple like the world's never seen. We’re miles beyond those boys with their sticks and stones.” Lena hated the implication, the way the words were breathed against her skin; warm and uncomfortably moist. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up in displeasure. She hated the way Mercy’s hand trailed down her arm and fought herself not to squirm out from under the touch. 

___

Before she could think what to say, her attention was redirected to the row in front of her where she heard Lex and General Lane in discussion. 

“So what are we going to do about National City’s resident Kryptonian?” Lex began quietly to the general. “Well, if the suit works against Superman, then I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work against her.” Lane replied. “For a price, of course.” the General added and Lex’s smile grew.

Lena felt her thoat close as her breathing came to a halt. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see Kara in the orchestra section below just turning her head back toward the stage. Lena’s heart was racing and she was sure that Kara had overheard Lex’s conversation with the General. There was nothing Lena could do to let Kara know that she was working to protect her from the inside, that she would never let the suit become operational, and she couldn’t make a move without blowing the whole thing so she sat stock still and tried to calm herself down with a breathing exercise. 

Lena remembered Mercy’s speech and was now full to the brim of two different streams of anger. Of course Kara had probably heard that too. _Damned superhearing._

Finally, the song was over and intermission was announced. The group moved back out to the balcony for refreshments. Lena made her excuses to stay in the box, pretending to look over the program once more to see what was to be played in the second half. Rhea stayed behind as well, but at least Mercy had been pulled away by the larger group. At that point, Lena didn’t care about Rhea being there, she just needed to see Kara and hoped that the reporter would find her as soon as possible. She stood there for several minutes, thinking she caught a glimpse of Kara’s hair or a flash of her notepad, but always disappointed. 

The rest of the group came back and the intermission was almost over. Lena was resigning herself to have to sit through another hour of music on edge and frustrated. She had to see Kara again, she had to make sure that Kara knew that Lena would never allow her to be hurt. 

The only silver lining was that Lex had called Mercy over to start discussing some of the financial details of the proposed contract to rid National City of Supergirl and required the whole group to shuffle their seating as a result. At least Lena was spared having to deal with _that_ crisis for a little while longer. Lena placed herself at the end of the row where she could easily excuse herself to the restroom if she caught sight of Kara. Nothing came of it until the end of the concert when the house lights came up. 

Lena saw Kara enter the box with a few other reporters. Her face was drawn and grim. Lena’s heart sank immediately. She wanted nothing more than to soothe the crinkle forming between Kara’s eyebrows. Their eyes met, but Kara looked quickly away. Eventually, the blonde made her way over to Lena. The air was like ice between them. Kara remarked that the concert had been somewhat disappointing, noting that she preferred operas for the singing. Kara expressed that she was just glad it was over and that she could leave, having already gotten more than enough for her piece. Lena collected herself and defended Tchaikovsky, while also noting prominent operas in the same style that Kara might enjoy more. As they talked and Lena continued to meet her eye, Kara seemed to relax. They chatted about music and their favorite composers for a few minutes, Kara’s mood seeming to improve gradually throughout the conversation. Lena noted that they were drifting ever-closer together until their sides and hands brushed where they were holding their drinks as they talked in low, animated tones. 

Kara had just reached an arm around to hover over Lena’s back to better hear her when Lena felt a heavy hand land on her forearm. Lena looked down in confusion, she could see both of Kara’s arms and the angle wasn’t right for her hands to be on Lena’s forearm. She looked up to see Mercy standing next to her smuggly. “So sorry to interrupt. Ms. Danvers, if you have everything you need, I need Ms. Luthor’s help explaining the provenance of this evening’s arrangement to General Lane. Lena quickly got her face under control, burying the concern for Kara and the fury at Mercy under a perfectly calm, neutral mask. She turned to follow Mercy, but not without a last look back at Kara who was frowning after her. 

Lena rushed the explanation as much as she could while being polite and internally groaned at the numerous follow up questions the General asked. He had, _apparently_ , a deep passion for orchestral music, who knew. As Lena turned to leave and returned to the box to find Kara, she was met by the flustered blonde reporter. “Sorry, Lena. Something came up and I’ve got to go. Have a good night.”

Lena was struck by the sudden turn of events. “Are you sure? There are speeches in a few minutes. Surely you’ll need to stay for those? Will you tell me more about your love for arias while we wait?”

Kara’s face was pinched and _angry?_ “No Lena, duty calls. We have another reporter here who can record the speeches. I’ve just received some intelligence which requires my immediate action. Please excuse me.”

Kara was mad about Mercy? Or about Lex? Was Kara jealous or scared? Lena wasn’t sure, to be perfectly honest with herself. If it was just about Lex and the suit, why would Kara have stayed to talk to her at all? 

Kara was already walking away when Lena said, so quietly no human could hear, “I know about the suit. I have for five years. It will never be operational, you have my word.” Lena saw the blonde pause mid step without looking back before lowering her head into an imperceptible nod and continuing down the stairs. 

Lena continued to mull the interaction over in her head. If Kara was upset about the suit, why had they spent fifteen minutes debating major and minor keys? No, this had to be something else. This was about Mercy and her interruption. Lena internally snarled at the idea, but at the same time, knowing there was no way she would ever be with Mercy, was pleased to know that Kara could be jealous of someone’s romantic advances towards her. The gratification was bliss. Before Lena could enjoy it too much, she had to figure out how to let Kara know that there was no need for it, that Lena would be hers if only she asked. A new flame of rage at Mercy reared its head. Lena loathed the opportunistic woman and the havoc she was wreaking on the only person Lena had ever cared about. Lena’s eyes were opened to Mercy’s evil and she would not submit quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh, Lena's big mad! I am so excited for the next few chapters. I love the ending of this story and I think the way it all comes together really completes the story. Check out tomorrow's update where we find out from whom Mercy got her intel all those years ago. In the meantime, check out my Tumblr, [ BlueSpruce25](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bluespruce25).


End file.
